Playing outside

[Matt Deckard]

I was talking to a friend of mine from Spain and we started on the subject of cultural differences. One of the things that was brought up was the absence of children on playgrounds nowadays. When I was younger and my grandfather would take me and my brothers and sister to the park you would have to wait your turn for the swings, now they are vacant, at least around where I live. when I was overseas the parks were chalk full of the native inhabitants, old and young playing boccie and other games and using the playground equipment. The TV I know for certain is less of a draw in those countries. The work ethic is more relaxed, and the families still sit down together for meals more so do than most US families.

Japan and the US in my eyes are similar in the respect of less and less outdoor play, I think China more like the US than the Japanes as their growth and hunger for economic clarity (away from communism) leads them to be more like the US and a bit arrogant (though deservedly so).

Anywho, before I meander too much, less children playing outside in the US do to the net and TV, and parents just don't want to spend the time to take them. What do you think?

 

[scotrace]

...less children playing outside in the US do to the net and TV, and parents just don't want to spend the time to take them. What do you think?

To a certain extent, yes. There's a larger reason, methinks.
Talk to any parent about this and you'll hear the same lament: When we were children, we would head out on our bikes after breakfast and not come home until the streetlights came on (home curfew). It just is not safe to do that anymore and our children suffer for it and we parents have terrible guilt for keeping them in unless supervised (which we all do as much as we can). But better inside and alive than set free to be raped, chopped up and eaten by some sicko.

 

[Matt Deckard]

But are these fears realistic? yes terrible things happen, though sounds like the media hype that draws the kids in in your part. I know ther is danger, though I don't think to the degree that causes society to abandon the outdoors.

I understand your reasoning, though is it justified?

 

[Lauren]

*edited cause I was posting at the same time*

But in areas like where I live, in North County San Diego, kids still go to the playgrounds quite frequently and meet to play on the streets of residential neighborhoods. I posted a picture on the Easter duds thread of a field near my grandmother's house, and right across the street is the beach. Kids and young teens still go to the beach and the field without the threat of being harmed. And I personally think the media and marketing have a lot to do with kid's playing outdoors. The media is screaming threats at high pitches over and over (some of which obviously aren't legitimate concerns) to Parents, who instead of teaching their children to watch out for it simply isolate them to controlled environments. And with television marketing trumpeting to kids video games and other indoor specific toys it's no wonder we don't see kids riding bikes and playing baseball. In other countries a lot of time they don't have the disposable income that we do in the US, so playing outside and making believe are better options.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The media plays to fears, because fear is a marketing tool. There have always been child abductions, molestations, rapes and murders. Today, even more than in the past, they are entertainment fodder. This isn't all bad; there was a time when families didn't face the fact that their children were victims of molestation. Too shameful, too "unbelievable". And who knew what to do about it? Today, thanks to the media, we do know what to do ... and we don't need to feel ashamed for (or even of) our kids when they're abused.

In Chile, middle-class and poor kids still play in the parks and streets. Rich kids are locked up in their guarded, gated communities and play video games all day. Even though they are protected enough to play outside (and have nannies -- though not parents -- with them at all times), they prefer to stay indoors and look at a screen.

 

[The D.A.]

Matt,

I agree that kids seem to be spending a lot less time outside than they used to. When I was young, kids spent the entire Summer outdoors, riding their bikes, swimming at the pool, hiking through the woods, building forts, etc. Of course, cable television, VCRs, game consoles and the Internet didn't exist, so there was a lot less to do inside.

I wonder if some of it also has to do with parents wanting to keep their kids closer to home. I know that a lot of parents are afraid to let their kids get out of sight lest they get abducted or otherwise victimized. My parents used to let me do things that I'd never let my daughter do now--riding my bike alone miles from home, hiking deep into the woods with a friend, going to the houses of kids whose parents they didn't know, etc. My parents and the parents of my friends often had no idea where we were.

Regardless of the reasons, I think that it's too bad. I have many fond memories of the time that I spent outdoors. Every kid should have the experience of building a fort, exploring the woods, and sleeping in the back yard in a pup tent.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Every kid should have the experience of building a fort, exploring the woods, and sleeping in the back yard in a pup tent.

You are right!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

The radius children are allowed to roam outside their homes has shrunk to a ninth of what it was 20 years ago. According to the 2005 Duke University Child Well Being Index, American kids are safer now than they have been at any time since 1975. Specifically, violent victimization of children has dropped more than 38 percent. We’re being conditioned to be fearful all the time. So a lot of it is the media.

 

[scotrace]

You put it better than I, D.A.

I also think that you nailed it when you said that you did things as a child that you would never allow your daughter to do now.

I honestly believe that until you have the experience of having your child's safety at stake, until you are the responsible parent, until you have a baby, then it's very easy to dismiss reports of harmed children as media over-hype. And it IS over-hype.
But I'm not taking the chance. No way. And there's just no way to teach a child in a 100% reliable way how to avoid the dangers.
I'm sure my kid's generation will grow up and compare notes and think we were nuts and screwed them up. Seriously - sociologists will write about the time when parents kept their kids in out of fear and they all got fat and went blind playing PS2 games.

 

[The D.A.]

Having prosecuted a number of adult sex offenders who victimized children, I don't think that anyone should minimize the threats that exist for our children these days. Have such threats always existed? I don't know, and it doesn't really matter. What I do know is that there are predators on our streets intent on victimizing children. Should we abandon the outdoors and keep our kids locked in their houses to protect them? Hell no! What we should do, however, is make sure that we know where our kids are and who they're with at all times. Educating children about the threats that are out there has been shown to be only marginally effective.

That said, you just can't keep your child completely safe at all times. This will sound ridiculous, but one of the hardest things that I've done as a parent is let my daughter walk to a friend's house by herself. I had her call me when she got there, but I was praying the whole time she was in transit.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Seriously - sociologists will write about the time when parents kept their kids in out of fear and they all got fat and went blind playing PS2 games.

Yes indeed! :eusa_doh:

 

[Lauren]

I'm with Marc. All this plus more was happening throughout time- there just wasn't as fast of a way to get the word around or it simply wasn't considered proper to discuss it publicly. Now with the media accessable 24/7 through television, radio, internet, newspaper, etc they are grabbing for more to make you afraid and boost their sales and viewings. All these things are good to be aware of, yes. But shutting up the kids in the house insead of teaching them to deal with it in a real world way won't do anything to help them grow into adulthood and will create a new generation of lazy and overwieght people with no motivation. In my opinion, sunshine, fresh air, and excersize are nessecary for growth. And it lets them stretch their creativity, leadership skills, problem solving skills, etc in a way that reacts to people and not machines.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well, i think most of it's been covered. Media hype regarding child abduction and abuse. And overreaction to such hype.

Most abuse is carried out not by 'strangers' but by relatives, acquaintances or family members of aquaintances. Suggesting that these crimes are not usually 'opportunistic', but are planned and cold-blooded, as it were.

This is the most frightening thing. And the fact to which many people remain resistant. We like to think of the child abuser as the whacko that we don't know. Whereas it's more often than not the nice guy/gal from up the street. Anyone see the movie 'Happiness'?

http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats2.htm#Family

bk

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Most abuse is carried out not by 'strangers' but by relatives, acquaintances or family members of aquaintances.

And neighbors. Especially ones that are very near your home.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I honestly believe that until you have the experience of having your child's safety at stake, until you are the responsible parent, until you have a baby, then it's very easy to dismiss reports of harmed children as media over-hype.

I am a parent.

 

[Pilgrim]

Parents are paranoid. I'm one, I know it. But we tried to get over it as soon as possible.

 

[The D.A.]

I'm really not in disagreement with most of what has been said. Do kids play outside as much as they used to? I don't think so. Is this largely because of TV, video games, the Internet, etc.? Yes, I think it is. Does advertising marketed towards kids encourage this? Probably. Are today's children the worse for it? You bet.

I support encouraging kids to spend time outdoors, to use their imaginations, and to explore the world. I further recognize that the world is and has always been a dangerous place, and that children's growth will be stifled if parents don't give their kids some freedom.

That said, I don't think that parents can afford to take their kids' safety for granted the way parents used to. My parents never imagined that I might be abducted, victimized and killed. They usually only vaguely knew where I was at any given time. If I had been snatched, the abductor would probably have had a head start that could have been measured in hours. My parents were good parents, and the way they let me roam was not unusual for that time period. In hindsight, they should have kept better track of me (I say that as the survivor of a snatching attempt).

Lauren, you can warn and warn children about specific dangers, but education about such things can only go so far. Educated adults, people with life experience who should know better, are victims of crime all the time. How can we expect children to do better?

In summary, encourage your kids to get out of the house, encourage them to play and to use their imaginations, but don't ever become complacent. Know where they are and who they're with. Know when they're supposed to arrive at places and give them set times to be home. In other words, be parents. Don't live in fear for your kids, but never allow yourself to become complacent. Are the chances of your kids becoming victims great? Probably not, but do you really feel like taking the risk?

 

[BellyTank]

...We’re being conditioned to be fearful all the time...

That statement is so much bigger than the specific issue of this thread.

But yes, (hype)you should be scared about the (imaginary)p?¶dophile who lives on the corner- oh and don't forget to be scared of coloured folks(any colour)- that's all of them- they're evil- oh, all foreigners too- they all hate us and they're all out to get us too.
The Commies are coming! and the Moslems- aaaahhhhh!!!

Where there's fear, there's control (and consumption).

It's great for them- for us, it's just scary.

B
T

 

[scotrace]

Mr. D.A.

Again, well said. Bravo!

I live in a small town in the midwest. A Leave-It-To-Beaver sort of small City where everyone knows everyone else's business, people sometimes leave the front door unlocked, etc.
And there are fourteen reigstered sex offenders within ten blocks of my house, which is one block from a High School.

The dangers are quite real.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

?¶

Ain't seen one of them for a while

:cheers1:

bk