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If you can't trust your kids to go outside you may have already failed as a parent! I mean, there are real reasons not to let them go out -- if I lived in Chicago where there's a gang war raging and people being hit by stray bullets every day, OK -- everyone can play inside. But I hope "inside" doesn't have to mean "glued to an electronic device."
Nice generalization.
I don't even see where this comment relates to what I said, but whatever.
My kid loved fishing. That doesn't mean I let him go down to the river alone to fish at age 8, when he asked.
I can see where you're coming from, but it's also a little sad. I can't imagine not wanting to play outside. Sure, when we wete older we did things like going to the movies/mall or nintendo, but there was nothing like playing outside. From 5 to 14 we lived outside.
It isn't sad for those who have different personalities and interests.
See, I went outside without adult supervision all the time, but my parents made sure I would usually be with someone else my age or older, but if I was to go outside alone, which I would do, usually riding a scooter or something, I had to stay around the neighbourhood and I couldn't go all around late at night. Somethings were off limits, of course. For example, in middle school I had to stay with my little brother in an after school park because my mom would work long shifts. The park was like 4-5 blocks away from the school, easily walkable, however I had to take a school bus. Middle school got out at 2:20, elementary at 3:00. Instead of the bus dropping me off right there after I get off, they would make me wait until it picked up my brother from elementary, and I hated it, so for a few weeks I skipped the bus and just walked to the park. Once the bus driver noticed and called my folks, I got read the riot act
Naah, I had certain liberties which expanded as I got older, but my parents set boundaries. They set boundaries but they allowed freedom and that's how you gotta do it. Parenting ain't easy, everyone makes mistakes, but you gotta let your kids live a little. Don't be careless but don't be overwhelming. Mind you I grew up in Miami which has higher than average crime rate, but I lived in a safe quiet neighbourhood. I love where I live in Saint Paul, don't know if I'll be in this neighbourhood after I am married and settled down, but somewhere like this is perfect to raise kids. And its not boring suburbia either.
So funny how different people twist or INTERPRET what others type on the internet. Or plucking out some reply to someone else's points.
I said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithscissors View Post
Exactly. You're RAISING your kids. Not just sending them outside with no direction or supervision.
So it's hard to tell if you're correcting me or agreeing with me after reading the long list of direction and supervision you and your brother experienced as children. *shrug
Not to mention, I assume this wasn't lately. Latchkey kids have existed for decades.
It's fine for people to be different, but I literally have never seen a kid who didn't like playing outside.
I said nothing of kids not liking playing outside, only that some kids, including my kids, very much enjoy, and often prefer, indoor activities that don't have much or anything to do with being glued to their phone.
We told our kids they could not come inside except for a drink or potty during certain times. They still spend all their free time on the computer when they got older.
Who is this "we" you speaketh of? Sounds like an arguing man of hay.
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