Do kids play outside anymore?
I grew up in suburbia. And I remember going to friends houses, unannounced, asking if friends could come out to play. Imagine that, no need to schedule a play date. I remember kids being outside playing as you rode bikes around the neighborhood.
Nowadays, taking a walk around suburban neighborhoods, where you know many children live, you would swear you are in a ghost town. You see very few children outside playing in backyards, or riding bikes or any other outdoor activity.
One day a few years ago, I was lamenting about children not being outside in suburbia, and not knowing the kids on their own street very well. So, I sent my two kids up the street to the cul-de-sac to ride their scooters. About 15 minutes later a neighbor called. “Do you know that your kids are scootering around up here at the cul-de-sac, unsupervised?!” I guess the neighbors didn’t approve. We never tried it again.
The problem I think is parents that watch too much Dr. Phil.
I wish I had a penny for every thread/post I’ve seen on the net of parents freaking out over their kids acting like (what was normal once upon a time) ‘Kids’.
I have seen mothers ranting like Banshees over the dangers of everything from slingshots to ATVs. Parents mortified over the concept of a sleepover at age 12. Fathers thinking that if little Jimmy exits his field of vision for a nanosecond he will be immediately set upon by Pedobear.
Of course there are very real dangers in the cold cruel world and bad things happen. But society has become so sheltered that they retarded the natural growth of children...who then grow into paranoid adults with big therapy bills.
Danger and risk are a normal part of development. When parents and govt. eliminate it and create ‘soft pilloe world’ we end up with the society we see today.
I grew up in a housing project in buffalo,ny.
On saturdays in the spring, I would be up shorly after dawn to fix my own frosted flakes.
I would throw to bologna sandwiches and two bottles of pop into the basket of by bicycle along with fishing gear.
The nearest stream in suburbia was about 12 miles away.
If I wanted supper, I had to be home at 5pm.
After supper, outside until the street lights came on.
What the hell’s happened ?