Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The last time I checked, parks were considered outside.
I'm so glad I don't live there!
Yes, parks are considered outside. Kids (elementary age and younger) don't play outside unsupervised. Not on their own street, not at the park. They do take part in lots of supervised activities or at the park (supervised) or have friends over. Teens go to the park/mall/etc. (unsupervised).
I hardly ever even see kids at the many parks we have around here. Lots of kids here are very scheduled, in full-time care of some sort, inside all the time, or somewhere else that isn't their front yards or parks.
Kids need to play alone and not be constantly watched - it's how they learn to be independent. A few years ago here on the last week of school a kid left her house early in the morning to meet friends to walk to school rather than take the bus. To do so she had to cross an intersection of a six lane highway where there were crosswalks and traffic lights. She had always been forbidden to cross that road, because it was too busy for her parents' comfort. Unfortunately she was hit and killed crossing the road. She was seventeen years old.
Yes, but not elementary school aged kids, alone. There are teens and tweens who like bombing our cul de sac on their skateboards and scooters. I see young kids and their parents playing ball in the park down the street or having picnics. There's a great park about 3 miles away, near the harbor with a big playground, expansive green area, safe swimming beach, and even a pirate ship with a zip line that is full of kids.
The beaches have a lot of families out in summertime. Finally, there are clusters of kids surfing the point in town, either with their friends or (the younger ones) with their parents when the swell isn't too big.
I also see tons of infants and toddlers being pushed around town and the parks in strollers or being carried in swaddles or harnesses by their parents.
I haven't seen any parents say they don't let their children out of their sight, in the entire thread.
For me, it isn't a function of crime at all. I just know toddlers and the pre-school set are not mentally capable of making the sorts of decisions that come up when they are completely unsupervised. Even those under the age of about 7, are not truly capable of understanding the dangers of wandering into the road, and thus any time you are letting them play on the sidewalk unsupervised you run the risk of them getting distracted and going in the road. It is a risk, many seem to be willing to make. I was not. So when mine were that age, they road their bikes at the park on the bike path (there is no adjoining road).
For those that are comfortable letting really little ones (3-4 yo) run around parks and sidewalks unsupervised I am truly flabbergasted. Maybe I just had kids who were a little clumsy and a little extreme, but there were broken wrists, a broken arm, a split open head, teeth through a lip once, and so on. I can't imagine expecting a toddler, or even a 7 year old, to deal with that until an adult got there.
It is about what level of risk you are willing to take, and the risks I was worried about were the decision making skills of small people who are not even capable yet of predicting consequences of their actions yet, far more than them being victims of crime. Children, particularly very young children, are more likely to hurt themselves than be a victim of a random crime.
It depends on where you live though really. If I lived by a busy road or the park had very big play structures I would be supervising but our road only really gets cars twice a day (off to work and back from work) at very slow speeds due to speed bumps and my kid really does follow the rule of not going on the road (and has a highly developed fear of cars for some reason, which helps). The worst that could happen really is that she falls off the slide which isn't that high and would most likely result in just some bruises which could happen if I was out supervising anyway.
Depends on the kid too. I don't have a clumsy kid. She takes risks (as in climbing high) but is very careful while doing so but there's nothing for her to climb here anyway. Most of the time she's outside by herself she's just digging in the sandpit really or playing football with the other kids.
Anyway older kids (as in school aged), I see out and about in small groups (sometimes alone but that's rarer, and usually just at the shop) playing outside a lot. All summer there were gangs of kids down at the beach having a great time. Schools are back now so its quieter now but I can expect to see kids playing at the big park or going fishing after school.
1. A child between the ages of seven and eleven years old may enter the pool
enclosure unaccompanied under the following conditions:
a. The child must pass a swimming test prescribed by the Pool Manager. The lifeguard staff will maintain a list of children who pass this test. This list will be posted at the front desk.
b. The child's parent or legal guardian must provide written consent. The written consent will be on file at the pool office and noted on the posted list.
2. A child between the ages of seven and eleven years old who does not meet these requirements must be accompanied by a person sixteen years old or older in order to be admitted to the pool.
I'm guessing the pool that doesn't allow unsupervised children does not have a lifeguard on duty. Our HOA pool doesn't have one, and has similar rules about unsupervised children (no one under 14 without an adult, the 'adult' having to be over 18, etc). If there's a lifeguard on duty, it's usually a different story.
Yeah, that's been on my mind too. I'm less worried about pedophiles then I am about nosey neighbors. I think part of my concerns is p, even after living her 11 years, I don't really know many neighbors. Its a neighborhood most people keep to themselves.
What's ironic is that if people let their kids play outside that would likely lead to more socializing among the adults! But everyone gets home from work and closes the garage door behind them and nothing more is ever seen of them!
I'm guessing the pool that doesn't allow unsupervised children does not have a lifeguard on duty. Our HOA pool doesn't have one, and has similar rules about unsupervised children (no one under 14 without an adult, the 'adult' having to be over 18, etc). If there's a lifeguard on duty, it's usually a different story.
Mike
Our HOA has the same pool rules and we always have lifeguards on duty. They are there for emergencies not babysitters. Parents or designated adults are expected to keep an eye on their own kids.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
