I have always loved the long summer holidays with my boys, I never wanted them to be over quickly. But I wonder how our “cotton-wool” kids are going to cope over the next few weeks, my heart goes out to them.
It’s hard to believe that one-third of children aged 7 to 12 are reportedly never allowed to play outside because their parents are so concerned about their safety, that the government feels it needs to launch a public education campaign to encourage parents to let their children play outside.
The fact that so many kids are stuck inside the house so much could be a major reason why our children are so unhappy today. Shouldn’t they be out in the fresh air, going off on their bikes and coming home rosy-cheeked and covered in dirt?
Can they camp out safely in their garden with friends? I remember worrying about this. But what better fun is there for kids than stocking up their tent with goodies and having a torchlight midnight feast?
I’m glad to hear that Ed Balls, the Children, Schools and Families Secretary, is very concerned about our future breed of “cotton-wool” kids and has published a consultation document on the subject. As a father of three young children, he should appreciate the real fears parents have regarding safety and how to balance this so children are not over-protected. I’m glad he hear that he wants schools to allow kids to play conkers and snowball fights again.
I’ve always felt that the most important lessons were learnt in the playground – the social and survival skills that carry you through life. Winning and losing at games comes into it too. Maybe Ed Balls will encourage schools to re-introduce sports days and the traditional egg-and-spoon race, I was always hopeless at it, but always enjoyed it, as well as hopping about in a sack and falling in a heap. Those were the days….
It impacts on the environment too. In our village, there’s a big problem with parking when the under 12s play football – parents parking on grass verges etc totally wrecking them because they won’t let their kids walk the short distance from their homes to the field. Imagine how much carbon emissions could be cut simply by letting children walk!
Ellee: What a good point about learning from the playground. Don’t think we have it any better here. We turn on the news, and yet another child has been kidnapped. Today, I am grateful my European parents were as strict as they were in keeping us close by in public places. But I grew up in a simpler time when in my neighborhood some people actually left their homes unlocked overnight. Imagine that in today’s lunatic-driven world!
Well, I can see from a safety point of view how parents must be afraid to let their children out of their sight these days. It is so sad that so much “adventure” is being lost to children but you only have to look again at the Maddie case or some of your posts on the missing to realise how careful people need to be now, Ellee.
You’re right Ellee in saying children seemed to bew so much happier then. Now there are too many health and safety rules ples weird people around.
You can’t wrap children in cotton wool, but if and when something goes dramatically wrong we do tend to look for someone to blame.
I do recommend knee pads, elbow pads & helmets when cycling, skate-boarding, horse riding, roller blading or skating on hard ice …
and enjoy the great outdoors, whenever you can.
I was going to say something about enrolling kids on sports teams… and then I read Lina’s comment. It rings true, even on this side of the Atlantic.
The TV and newspapers do scare people unnecessarily about kidnapped children. I say. But my wife has driven the kids nearly everywhere nearly always.
My youngest, now 14, is at large when he’s not in an organized sports activity. He and his comrades hang around one of two nearby grammar schools — neither one of which he attended. They mill about until it’s too dark to see their hands in front of their faces. Then he comes home. He does not appear to be up to any mischief.
And it occurs to me: While he’ll have a fund of stories from his sports teams (based on the stories his older brothers tell, and re-tell, and embellish….) these unstructured times of just doing nothing special in the company of his friends may give him the greatest pleasure.
The “cotton-wool” parents should consider this.
Let kids be kids.
shame Labour sold off all the school fiels though, eh? On a much worse scale than the Tories too.
Then they encouraged the extinction of competitive sport becuase it has winner and losers; very un-lefty.
But now all is to change in a puff of magic Ballsian spin.
whoosh!
Go on Ellee, ask me about the potato race I was in when 8 years of age.
I think a big problem is that we are told “The abduction rates have remained static over the years.” as if to say that things are no worse – but the modern backdrop to this is a society of closely supervised kids and anxious parents; in view of all the extra vigilance and self-imposed restrictions oughtn’t the figures for abduction be showing a great reduction ?
An unfortunate product of this over-cautiosness is that children out playing are a rare thing therefore those who ARE out are more likely to be targetted.
Saying this, we are lucky in that all of the parents on our estate are of the same mind – our children must learn to play independantly and explore and live. We let them out in groups with strict security instructions. My twins are 9 and this is their first year of independant play – I distinctly remember being allowed out at the age of 7. Times have changed and our faith in the system is diminished.
I have no children and cannot therefore comment on whether current parental supervision of their kids is over-strict or no. But it does occur to me that when I was growing up 30 years ago our freedom as kids was greater, and we gained a little more freedom every year. You learned to develop good radar in those days and would steer clear of people or situations that didn’t feel quite right _ even if you didn’t know why. What happens to today’s children when they reach an age where they are just too big to have their lives micro-managed or controlled by their parents? Aren’t they going to want to really ‘splurge’ or rebel? Is that why so many more mid-teens these days are dabbling in drugs, having underaged sex, engaging in anti-social behaviour? They haven’t had the chance to gradually spread their wings or develop their judgement about people/ places and situations….
By the way, E-K, where has your blog disappeared to? I click on the link and it takes me to an empty page!
There’s a book you might like called “Last Child in the Woods” that you would like.
Sports days are a good idea. In a lot of American schools, when funding is cut for elementary and middle schools, physical education programs are the first to go. This is a terrible idea.
There’s a book you might like called “Last Child in the Woods.”
Sports days are a good idea. In a lot of American schools, when funding is cut for elementary and middle schools, physical education programs are the first to go. This is a terrible idea.
Oops. Didn’t mean to double post.
Try my blog now, David. I nuked it a week ago and started again at a different address.
I give up, really !
If you go on Miss Smack or Newmania I’m always posting there and the URL seems to work.
Sorreee.