Mom arrested for letting her kids play outside... supervised.

[MsSpiderWeb]

Originally Posted by cla

The title of this post is misleading. It was not the kids playing outside, but rather them playing in the street that was the problem. Young children should not be playing in the streets. Sure, we all played in the streets when we were younger, but there were fewer cars on the road. And we generally played in large groups - more readily seen by vehicles rather than one or two children. I get angry when I see children playing in the street in my neighborhood - usually unsupervised at that. Once a small girl around 4 or 5 years old rolled her trike into the street right in front of me and I didn't see her prior to that because of all of the cars parked on the road (one of the reasons I don't think people should park on the road - you can't see small children that might be playing outside). If I had been distracted for even a couple of seconds, I might have hit her, and I can't imagine trying to live with that guilt.

Parents, you have a backyard - let your children play there. If they want to ride a bike or motorized vehicle, go outside with them and make sure they stay on the sidewalk.

I thought sidewalks were for walking on and streets were for bike riding. Sure, children need to be aware of cars, both in the street and backing out of driveways. If there isn't more to this story, then I find it not only rediculous, but downright disturbing. Kids should not be a menace, but they should certainly be allowed to walk/ride around their neighborhood. How bizarre for a parent to get in trouble for allowing their children to play outside. Absurd.

Now if there IS more to this story (kids running in front of cars or destroying other's property) that's something else entirely. Granted I don't know much about scooters, but allowing older kids to ride their bikes on the street in front of your house is not a crime.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by cla

The title of this post is misleading. It was not the kids playing outside, but rather them playing in the street that was the problem. Young children should not be playing in the streets. Sure, we all played in the streets when we were younger, but there were fewer cars on the road. And we generally played in large groups - more readily seen by vehicles rather than one or two children. I get angry when I see children playing in the street in my neighborhood - usually unsupervised at that. Once a small girl around 4 or 5 years old rolled her trike into the street right in front of me and I didn't see her prior to that because of all of the cars parked on the road (one of the reasons I don't think people should park on the road - you can't see small children that might be playing outside). If I had been distracted for even a couple of seconds, I might have hit her, and I can't imagine trying to live with that guilt.

Parents, you have a backyard - let your children play there. If they want to ride a bike or motorized vehicle, go outside with them and make sure they stay on the sidewalk.

Did you watch the video ( post #1 )? The mother said that she and her husband moved specifically to that street because she wanted for her kids to have safe place to grow up. The reporter said that there was not much traffic and we all know that cul-de-sac is the very end of the street with no outlet, and made to reduce the amount of car traffic on residential streets within the subdivision.
Cul-de-sac streets increase spontaneous outdoor activity by children, reduce perceived danger from traffic thereby encouraging more outdoor play.
The desirability of the cul-de-sac street type among home buyers is implied by the evidence that they often pay up to a 20% premium for a home on such a street.
What residents of such streets say is: you step in and "you are likely to sense, immediately, that you are in a place, a special place, a handsome place, a safe place, a welcoming place, a place where you might wish to live." ... "Stay on our street" is all the kids have to know."
Cul-de-sac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia