Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 18, 2015 11:03:17 GMT -5
I think it's extremely unlikely that my kids will disappear or die in a fire. I think it's unlikely that they will be hit by a car but the odds are greater for that happening than disappearing or a fire death (really, my city averages around 3 deaths in a fire in a year) Will they get bit by a dog, likely. Will they fall, inevitability. Will they get a concussion, possibly.
But you know what - those things can happen IN MY PRESENCE. I try and continue to teach them how to go up to a dog as well as cross the street and/or a parking lot. Falling, there's not much I can do about that beyond reminding them that we don't climb trees in winter (had to do that on Thursday or Friday actually) and to put pads and helmets on when teaching them ride bikes, roller blade and ice skate.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2015 11:05:45 GMT -5
I was saying if the news reported something happening to the 6 and 10'yr old, the WTFs would happen all the same.
I really liked that Atlantic article someone posted. It exemplified my ideas on the issue very well.
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Wisconsin Beth
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No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 18, 2015 11:08:21 GMT -5
I haven't read the Atlantic article yet. Will try to later on today.
Have a good one, Beth
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jan 21, 2015 9:35:53 GMT -5
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Wisconsin Beth
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No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 9:38:33 GMT -5
Iggy (I think) started a thread on this last week. Police vs Old Fashioned Parenting, I think.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jan 21, 2015 9:42:58 GMT -5
Ok, I looked around and didn't see one
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Wisconsin Beth
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No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 9:57:26 GMT -5
Not a clue what board it was on - I do the New Topics update thing (which is why I sometimes end up on P&M!)
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jan 21, 2015 9:59:58 GMT -5
Not a clue what board it was on - I do the New Topics update thing (which is why I sometimes end up on P&M!)
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Jan 21, 2015 10:16:28 GMT -5
The more I think about this, the more I think the parents were a little careless in their desire for "free range children". I'm 37 years old and was given a fair amount of freedom when I was a kid, but the article says they walked a mile away from their house and played at the park. I measured the distance from the local park to my parents house and it was about a mile. I can't imagine my parents letting me as a 10 year old walk my sister to that park, play a few hours, and then come home.
I guess the idea is that we're going to have a bunch of overprotected kids that won't know what to do with themselves? Well nobody that I'm friends with was raised to just roam around wherever they pleased at a young age. they all turned out to be successful, well adjusted adults with families.
Truth be told, I think kids that grew up with all this freedom are just looking at this through rose colored glasses. It sounds to me like the parents were not very involved in their kids life.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jan 21, 2015 10:33:37 GMT -5
Therefore as a society, we need to have our government ...
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 10:37:21 GMT -5
huh, I'm wrong. We always estimated the walk from my parents house to the pool at a mile. It's roughly 3/4 of a mile on streets per Google. Since we had a couple of shortcuts, we probably only walked a bit over 1/2 a mile to get there. But we still walked it just about daily in summer. I have memories of walking it with my bff at the age of 6. And being proud that we were trusted to do it on our own instead of having to stay home.
School was about 1 mile home though the cemetery (where I had my encounter with the predator) depending on the path we took. Skirting the outside is about 1.4 miles and I know I walked that route too sometimes. We were supposed to take the bus home but we were on 2nd trip and it was faster to walk. Some days I walked with my siblings but usually we did it on our own, at our own pace.
We didn't roam wherever we pleased but common places to go like school or the pool were fine. We put up tents in the backyard too. That's when my sister and her bff roamed freely during their teen years. I think they would log 5+ miles some nights. Parents didn't sleep in the tents with us. The house was left unlocked if we needed to get inside.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jan 21, 2015 11:08:27 GMT -5
The more I think about this, the more I think the parents were a little careless in their desire for "free range children". I'm 37 years old and was given a fair amount of freedom when I was a kid, but the article says they walked a mile away from their house and played at the park. I measured the distance from the local park to my parents house and it was about a mile. I can't imagine my parents letting me as a 10 year old walk my sister to that park, play a few hours, and then come home. I guess the idea is that we're going to have a bunch of overprotected kids that won't know what to do with themselves? Well nobody that I'm friends with was raised to just roam around wherever they pleased at a young age. they all turned out to be successful, well adjusted adults with families. Truth be told, I think kids that grew up with all this freedom are just looking at this through rose colored glasses. It sounds to me like the parents were not very involved in their kids life. From the article: "But officials disagree. In late December, Montgomery County Police picked up the kids, Rafi and Dvora, walking just half a block from home after being alerted by an observer. Six cop cars soon showed up at the family’s house, and the incident spurred Montgomery County Child Protective Services to investigate Danielle and her husband Alexander for child neglect. This week, CPS officials visited the parents at home and also interviewed the children at school — without their parents’ knowledge or consent." I may be missing something here. Where does it say they walked a mile?
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jan 21, 2015 11:10:45 GMT -5
I was sitting here thinking about my own childhood and laughing. This is an illustration of my route home from school each day. The thing is, it had nothing to do with parenting. There were lectures, conferences, grounding, spankings attempting to get me to at least check in with Mom after school. I didn't care. I made it home around dinnertime because I was hungry. I didn't know your dad is Bill Keane.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 11:13:21 GMT -5
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jan 21, 2015 11:31:22 GMT -5
Ah. 10-4. Hadn't read that one yet. Thx.
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Wisconsin Beth
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No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 11:35:27 GMT -5
No problem.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 11:37:57 GMT -5
So, they were pissed because CPS asked what they would do if a stranger approached them? .... They are not teaching stranger danger, but assuming the world is just a safer place now...
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Ryan
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Post by Ryan on Jan 21, 2015 11:48:55 GMT -5
I'm all for letting your kids play and explore outdoors, but I don't understand why they need to be by themselves to do it. Can't you take your kid to a forest preserve and let them roam around under your supervision? What life lessons are they learning by letting them walk to the park by themselves? Do parents think that they won't learn how to walk to the park by themselves if they don't do it early enough?
Sorry, but I don't get the rationale.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 21, 2015 11:50:58 GMT -5
Well you wouldn't be a hip progressive parent if you said the reason you're letting them walk to the park alone is because you don't want to get up and do it.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jan 21, 2015 13:09:50 GMT -5
... Do parents think that they won't learn how to walk to the park by themselves if they don't do it early enough? ... Yes. Or more accurately, that they will become so conditioned for the need to be constantly supervised that they will never gain the mindset that they can walk to the park themselves.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jan 21, 2015 13:13:32 GMT -5
Not a clue what board it was on - I do the New Topics update thing (which is why I sometimes end up on P&M!) ... (which is why I sometimes end up on Your Money)
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Wisconsin Beth
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No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 21, 2015 13:19:23 GMT -5
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jan 21, 2015 13:44:58 GMT -5
CK, want me to merge this with the other thread? that works
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 13:46:01 GMT -5
I think we should start letting them drive at 12...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 13:53:05 GMT -5
Exactly. Damn mindset that I'll actually drive them around till they are 16.... We should probably actually start earlier... 6?
Its an interesting dichotomy with some people... I heard my friend tell her 16 year old she couldn't play Cards Against Humanity... Right after the gig. Got done telling me how well her college entrance interview for next semester went...
Its why I asked if those people with 6-10 year olds walking to the park to play alone for the afternoon were also allowed full autonomy over their one bodies and environment at home.
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Malarky
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Post by Malarky on Jan 21, 2015 14:00:55 GMT -5
It's fine if you want to keep your kids under supervision at all times until you deem them mature enough to be off on their own. That is your prerogative.
I do ask that you stop trying to criminalize those of us who have different parenting views. Despite your concerns, we are aware that things could happen but are comfortable with the risk vs. reward.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 14:04:39 GMT -5
That couple isn't aware. They were pissed that CPS asked the kids what they would do if a stranger approached. They were not saying there was a reasonable risk for which the kids had been prepared. They were just saying it was safe.
How about the same... Not assume if you don't send your kids out to play alone all day at 6-10 they will never mange to be self sufficient.
Can we bring back that Atlantic article... It was really good.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 14:05:20 GMT -5
Malarky, do you allow your kids full autonomy over their bodies and environment?
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Malarky
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Post by Malarky on Jan 21, 2015 14:16:54 GMT -5
At six and ten? No.
I did however give them free range to wander a mile away from home by the age of 10. They could walk downtown together when they seven and ten. And gasp, they didn't have cellphones back then.
By ten, they could ride their bikes anywhere except across the major highway that's two miles from here.
Most of their friends didn't enjoy that privilege.
And I received an enormous amount of criticism for allowing them freedom. I'm not sorry. I find them to be more confident and self sufficient than most of their friends.
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Malarky
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Post by Malarky on Jan 21, 2015 14:20:32 GMT -5
I'm not criticizing your choices on how to parent. Your children, your choice.
I'm just asking that people who like to let their children have more freedom be allowed to do so without people freaking out and involving the authorities.
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