Do you see kids playing outside anymore in Virginia? (Chesapeake: to rent, neighborhood)

[saganista]

Did you report this incident to the police? It isn't like they somehow don't know who these people are, and they do have a way of stopping by now and again to offer a little discouragement...

[saganista]

All fear all the time, and almost all of it irrational. Circle the wagons! Lock the doors! Get the women and children inside! Do what the insurance company tells you! There are risks in life. We can't hide from all of them. No matter how hard or misguidedly we may try...

[5stones]

and...btw....
MOST child abductions are from FAMILY members and of those majority are parental abductions. Yes stranger abductions happen and when they do it's horrible and usually has a very unhappy ending.

But not letting kids play out in hte neighborhood and get a sense of independence is wrong too. YOu CANNOT always be there to HOVER over your child and setlle the little disputes that happen. I can see my kids from my kitchen window or deck. They aren't running around doing damage or vandelism. The older kids walk out of our neighborhood to "downtown" and go to the movies and the diner for milkshakes. I love that about this area.

Also way does everyone always refer to the era of when "we were kids" it was so much safer etc... I was a kid in the early 70's... Do YOu not remember serial killers?? the 70's was chuck full of them, now not so much.

[Stonecoldharbours]

Yes, of course I did, many here know of him and the others who live here as well, and many do walk with their children and keep an good eye, but some don't care, they allow them run amock all day long and they have cost the HOA dues to skyrocket, cause of the problems, this is not a figment of my imagination, and I am not the only person here who has these same concerns, many of us do outings out of the neighborhood cause of iirresponsble parents who are in denial and do not watch their children...its so sad, the other day I Seen a 5 year old all alone at the playground, crying for its mom, happens alot...and nothing ever gets done bout it either.

So, yes panic is wrong too but you also can't be in denial and not watch your kids and ignore the sick parts of society that want to harm our children, cause the ones who are not supervised, are the ones who get hurt or worse here. I known of two people when I grew up in the 70s, in our small town, who were murdered, walking home from the bus stop, they were 9 and 11 years old too, , and if I can prevent my child from being a statistic, I will, at least I know my child will be alive.

[Fallingwater79]

The "no kids outside" phenomenon is alive and well in upstate NY and I see it constantly, winter and summer, as I travel through towns: entire streets and tracts void of any sign of kids playing....yes maybe a lot has to do with the predator fear especially if you have a known one in your area but a lot more probably has to do with the technology today: kids can sit on a computer, a cell phone, an I-Pod and while away hours and hours a day not moving from one spot. You don't think's it's a coincidence that childhood obesity is so out of control the medical community is basically shocked at it's skyrocketing occurrence over the last 2 decades......it's really quite sad and I know in my town, the schools have begun to offer Fit Programs for middle school aged kids (9-13) who are overweight. The sadder thing was that the PE teacher had far more kids qualify (they did it through endurance tests in gym class) than she ever expected!!!

[bargainmom]

Yes I grew up in Arlington and used to roam all over the county on bike trails and to the parks. Kids today are having their brains warped on tons of trash TV, violent computer games, sex stuff on the net. I really do think in smaller towns across America the kids are still playing at least in someone's backyard!

[Stonecoldharbours]

At least that is what we do at our home, just cause we are inside doesn't mean don't get excericse and are watching tv all day. Infact, we seldom do watch tv, and internet is off limits. We often go on family outings to parks as a family as there is no where to really go where we live, due to many factors that make it unwise. We are all a healthy weight btw too.

[williamsburgfan]

in my area all the time. Riding bikes to the pool, beach, fishing, golfing, tennis, soccer, field hockey - all the normal stuff. My kids did and my g'kids do and all of our neighboirs do.

Is any place absolutley nirvana? of course not. Do you need to take reasonable caution? Of course.

All registered sex offenders are known, and I always check the registry before buying investment property - does that mean one can't move in next door next week? no. All areas of the country, not just Va, and all neighborhoods in all areas have the same problems and you have to find the best way to deal with them.

[allaroundtheeast]

It's against the law for children to play in public roads. There was an article in The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) about it. In my neighborhood there was a childless couple who was featured who would call the police whenever children were playing in the cul-de-sac. It was stated that parents could be issued citations for this, although its not aggressively enforced. I used to live in NY and it was very common for children to play in the street.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by allaroundtheeast

It's against the law for children to play in public roads.

In many places it's against the law to shovel snow off a public road as well, so be very sure not to go beyond your property line!

Otherwise, there's an awful lot of hysteria out there. Also a bunch of selective memory. Believe it or not, there were just as many 'sexual predators' per capita out there in the 50's, 60's, and 70's as there are now. The only idfference is that now there's an internet where you can go find out who and where 'they' are. Kids used to play outside so much in the warm-weather months in part because TV and air-conditioning were scarce. So were finished basements with games rooms. Neither were there so many malls to drive to and hang out at, while computers and electronics were simply not affordable at the household level. The world has changed, and habits have changed with it. This was to be expected.

That said, I don't personally know of a neighborhood where kids don't still play outside. In the street, in the creeks, on the trails, in the parks, on the playgrounds, in someone's yard...wherever there is space there will be kids on a nice day. Even with all the other alternatives that they have to choose from these days. At least that's been my experience. And while it's none of my business at all, I'd still opine that those who are somehow unwilling to let their children be regular a part of all that are not doing them any favors...