Kids wandering on their own
Kids wandering on their own
Author
Discussion

Lois

Original Poster:

14,706 posts

281 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
About an hour ago I saw two boys wander down my street about 6 years old. There were no adults with them.
I've now just seen them wandering back again no adults and one is carrying a big stick so they have obviously just been in the woods nearby. There have been numberous problems in the woods and people hanging themselves etc. Not a place I like to go on my own let along 6 year olds! There's also a main road just down there (of course if they got hit it's the driver's fault!).
There's a lot of very young kids just left on the roads round here alone and have absolutely NO road sence!

When I was younger I was never allowed to wonder past the end of the cul-de-sac and had an adult watching when I was very little.

Is this me being an overprotective woman or does this seem excessive? Think what triggered the thought off was the 2 kids were wearing man u shirts and just looked like the male version on Holly and Jessica.

gary_tholl

1,013 posts

299 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Not at all Lois. They should have parents looking out for them.

The last place I lived on was a bay, with about 6 houses, we all got along quite well, 2 of the places had kids, and we would all look out for them. One time a grandmother scooped the kids as we were in the garage to take them for icecream. We had 5 or 6 vehicles out searching around right away.

I really, really don't understand how a parent could let their kids (especially at that age, old enough to get into trouble, not old enough to know WTF they're doing) just wander off.

Here's hoping they make it back home in one piece!

Gary

JagLover

46,739 posts

264 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Decent people do not allow their children to wander about at the age of 6 no.

But allot of people have children these days who would need another 20 IQ points to be considered a Chimpanzee.

randtis

116 posts

263 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
JagLover said:
But allot of people have children these days who would need another 20 IQ points to be considered a Chimpanzee.


Spot on, if anything happens you can be assured the parents will most likely be blaming everyone else under the sun before themselves.

minimax

11,985 posts

285 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
personally when I was 6 years old I was trusted to go out on my bike on my own to the end of the street and back...but it was a private estate and there was little chance I could get out any further even if I wanted to. It worries me when I think of the ages of the children walking about nottinghams rough areas without any older figure to watch out for them.

where I live now (like baghdad but slightly more crime ) the packs of wild children that run amok quite often get into fights with bigger children, get a caining and are left by their peers to stagger home..it's a horrific sight

Ferg

15,242 posts

286 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Hmmmm... ..and an interesting point comes into my head.

Which of these activities would do more to reduce child abduction and molestation?


A. Vigilante action and tub-thumping against suspected paedophiles, or
B. Parents keeping a decent watch on their children?


Picked your choice??
Right, which would you think a large section of the community would be more interested in doing????

selmer

2,760 posts

271 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
There's no way I would allow my son, when he reaches 6, to wander around our village, which is, usually very peaceful.
Having said that there is one child, now about 10, who for the last 5 or so years has ridden bikes or his scooter regularly into the path of oncoming traffic, on blind bend, on the wrong side of the road. Now regardless of whether the cars are doing 29 or 31, you wouldn't want the blood of this child on you hands when he (undoubtedly) does come a cropper.
I've spoken to his mum once about it (because, really it's not the type of thing you should have to say twice is it? "here Mrs. C*****s, your son just rode his scooter head on into me until I slammed on and swerved, can you tell him never to do it again"). Her reaction was the unexpected but really, when you think about it quite typical, "He's a little bugger, nothing I can do etc., etc."
A week ago I saw him on a bike way too big doing out of control wheelies near a parked up E -Type
The nail was hit on the head earlier, parents with IQs to match their shoe size.

Lois

Original Poster:

14,706 posts

281 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Also went round to a house yesterday and the woman's 3 year old came wondering out the house after us and up the street (and not a very nice area)

Byff

4,427 posts

290 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
There's nothing wrong with letting the kids have a little freedom. Give them boundaries such as, top of the street or down to the park and trust that you have brought them up knowing to stay off the road and not to talk to strangers etc. The boundaries can change with maturity and how sensible they can prove themselves to be.

As a passer-by or casual observer, you don't know what that child's boundaries are. You don't know that child.

BliarOut

72,863 posts

268 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Mine are almost six and one is seven... I'm just letting them out of my sight into the square outside my house and occasionally round the block (it's a pavement, no cars)

It's a tricky balancing act letting them find their wings and learn to navigate alone, yet keep them safe...

I'm always happy when they are back in sight again. God knows what I'll be like when they are old enough to venture out alone.

steviebee

15,286 posts

284 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
We're fortunate that we live in a street where if I can't see or hear my kids, I know someone else can and crucially "is"!

The topography allows for this though.

Our general rule is that if they can't see the house, they shouldn't be there.

But it worries me when you see very young children walking around twon centres with no obvious sign of adult supervision.

jessica

6,321 posts

281 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Lois you have been to my home,my ten and eight year olds are only allowed to play around the green..

Some parents really dont care.

seafarer

1,278 posts

282 months

Tuesday 12th April 2005
quotequote all
Lois, you're not being overprotective. Their parents might be morons.

This is something that has always made me mad to see.
They are probably the same type of parents I see in the mall or shopping center walking some steps AHEAD of their kid, rather than taking them by the hand and keeping track of them. Our mother made us stay right next to her, within sight, when she shopped. And she wouldn't just walk away when one of us didn't mind when she's leaving an area of the store. She'd grab us by the hand and we'd get a scolding for not coming when called. It only takes a second to abduct a kid. You really can't let them play outside unattended if you live somewhere with any amount of traffic (not just cars, but strangers cruising through the area). I think we always had to stay in the yard if unattended.