The Grass Stain Guru

We live in a small town, and our house is on a hill backed up against a park. When I stand in the backyard, I can call down to the kids in the park and we can carry on a conversation–I don’t even have to raise my voice too loud. And yet, I feel funny letting them go down there to play without me, even the 10 year old. it’s not that I think anything’s going to happen to them…it’s more that I think some ‘well meaning’ adult will get the idea that they are in danger and “helpfully” call the authorities on me. It’s enough of a damper that I only let them go down there alone when nobody else is in the park and make them return if any adults show up. I wish I wasn’t so paranoid…but I am. Maybe it’ll take more bravery on the part of people like me to make park playing a trend?

In an age where many kids are over-scheduled with outdoor sports and others are at the other extreme indoors sitting in front of video games, this is a refreshing idea.

This freedom is a gradual process. A kid has to learn to find their way home, cross a street safely, be OK if they hurt themselves, use a cell phone (if that’s something you give them when they are out and about), get on with and support their sibling, make friends while playing, ask an adult for help in an emergency, that kind of thing, before you would send them out to the park by themselves.

I think it’s important to note that it’s safer for young kids when older kids are out playing too. When I was a kid, there were usually teens out playing near the younger kids. The teens would stop things like bullying and help a kid who fell and hurt their knee, that kind of thing. Parks and streets where kids played weren’t full of 7 and 8 year olds, there were mixed ages. In fact my mom would let me roam further if she knew there was a teen with us.
.-= Alison Kerr´s last blog ..Fantastic Tall Trees =-.

We are nowhere near making that decision, yet, but we let our three year old play in the yard alone. He has to go through a gate, cross the driveway and come up the stairs to get in the house. Not a big deal, but he does have access to the street. We keep an eye on him of course, but I hope we are allowing him some freedom to get used to.
.-= Mel´s last blog ..Around the ol’ Internet =-.

Wow, awesome. If I had kids, I would so do this. Amazing idea – parents need to learn to let their kids have some freedom from their helicoptering. If they don’t, these kids won’t know how to do anything by themselves when they are adults. Great post, Bethe.