I didn’t grow up in this area, but I grew up in an era when we ran out of our houses as soon as we were allowed, played until we were hungry, and came back home.
Our parents didn’t have to fret about what we were doing. They knew we were in the park, or riding bikes with our friends.
When we started secondary school, there was no fear about us walking to school alone, or with our mates.
Fast forward thirty years and it is a different ball game everywhere we look.
As a parent to a near teenager and a child who will start secondary within the next couple of years, I have an honest fear of what could happen.
My child walks to school, and back, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. He wants to pop into the park for a kick about with his mates, as kids that age naturally want to do. It took us a while to gain the courage to actually let him do that.
The thing is, though I trust my child, and have every faith in him, that he wouldn’t do anything wrong, it’s the rest of the world that I can’t be sure of.
The recent incidents in the local park have caused a great deal of unrest amongst many parents. Articles and posts have been circulating around Facebook, and other Social Media networks, getting everyone rather worried.
I want him to grow up independent, and able to make decisions for himself, but equally, I don’t want to be sending him out like a lamb to slaughter.
( You want to know what happened? A couple of weeks ago a gang of teens beat an innocent lad with a baton, and there have been allegations of organised bare knuckle fights happening there. These are just some recent incidents, but they are becoming more regular, and in turn, are scaring families away from a beautiful park and play area.)
I dropped him off there, to that very park (it’s our local park), last Saturday, tentatively, to meet some friends. I was reassured to see some Community Police Officers circulating at least twice whilst we were parked up waiting for the others. This week though, with all the press and publicity the incidents have received, it was decided that the boys wouldn’t meet. They were sensible about it, reasoning that it was too unsafe to go.
Yes the police can be around, but if someone was to flash a knife and the officers were at the other side of the park, if there at all, they wouldn’t be able to stop something happening. The boy’s words. They also want to know there will be CCTV cameras installed for safety.
Maybe social media has a lot to answer for.
Is it scaremongering of sorts? Who can we blame?
One thing’s for sure though. Our kids are losing out on a lot of chances to learn independence skills because we have this fear of letting them out into that dangerous environment.
I feel saddened that our children don’t feel the freedom of childhood that we did. Instead they end up kept at home, where they are glued to screens. Then we worry about childhood obesity.
Or we run them, and ourselves, ragged, sending them to extra-curricular activities, to get them out of the house, leaving us a pretty penny poorer too. At least meeting at, or riding their bikes to the park is free.
What do the kids want? The chance to meet up with their friends, with no worry about who could turn up, cause trouble or steal bikes.
How can that happen? Park wardens, like the good old days, and proper CCTV cameras installed as a deterrent, and evidence if needed.
Maybe the council could see to use some of that exorbitant council tax we pay to do this, so the youngsters of this region can actually be kids for longer, instead of wannabe gangstas in training…
But I Smile Anyway... 
Aug 19, 2018 @ 05:04:52
The world can be scary but we all do our best to find balance. We cant live in fear but we also dont want to play with fire. I think you’re doing great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aug 19, 2018 @ 06:28:50
Thank you. It is tough to know if you’re making the right decision or not! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 27, 2018 @ 06:40:16
Totally agree with you about park wardens. Our local park is beautiful but is becoming a place not to be after a certain time. It’s full of rubbish and hazards like broken bottles. The councils need to shape up and start caring about our parks and the kids’ safety or else they’ll become wastelands.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 27, 2018 @ 06:41:44
We had travellers set up in there last summer too, lighting fires and leaving a tip… It’s not good. Xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 23:52:51
This is so sad Ritu. The world could surely use a makeover with what’s happening in so many parts. I’m sorry I have no right answers for you. When I look at the state of the world and so many struggling just to survive, here kids not moving away from home because housing is unaffordable, it makes me grateful sometimes that I don’t have kids to worry about. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 27, 2018 @ 05:52:23
Debby that is the worry for all us parents. We wish we could do so.l much but with the world around us as it is, its hard to give our children the childhood they deserve… Goodness knows what will happen when they get to adulthood.
Thank you 💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 27, 2018 @ 13:48:44
You are welcome Ritu. I wish I had answers. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 27, 2018 @ 14:44:42
💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 17:10:53
Hammer – Nailed – It! ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 17:13:18
Ha! Thanks Billy!!!
LikeLike
Jun 26, 2018 @ 11:08:32
An excellent post Ritu and I have to admit that after a lifetime of travel and living in foreign countries, my desire to fly off to exotic locations or spend long weekends in major cities such as London has been extinguished. I have often said that the veneer of civilization is paper thin and it is become more and more apparent by the day. The tragedy of it is too, that those who are responsible and great potential parents might well decide not to bring children into the world because of all the reasons you state. Not sure where that will leave us! hugs xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 14:19:00
I know.. I often wonder if I did the right thing, having kids, with the world as it is… but I always wanted children… maybe I’ve been selfish. I’ve brought them in to the world, I need to equip them to deal with everything too… ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 14:38:39
You have not been selfish Ritu and you are clearly an amazing parent, unfortunately many children are not being equipped or socialised and are making up their own rules as they go along. I am sure that as a teacher you have seen that over the last few years. I have to believe that we will come full circle again..hugs♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 16:58:57
Thank you Sally. We can only hope for the positive changes to occur 💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 05:39:00
So very true and disheartening what you describe and it is the case in most countries now. Very few opportunities in this day and age for children to grow up carefree like some of us did at their age.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 26, 2018 @ 05:53:44
We really were lucky, growing up at a time where war didn’t affect us, and media hadn’t quite perfected it’s hold upon the world…
LikeLike
Jun 25, 2018 @ 00:41:54
A small reminder: the world isn’t bad it is people that are bad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 25, 2018 @ 06:00:05
True…
LikeLike
Jun 25, 2018 @ 00:34:23
I wouldn’t want to do it again. It is a scary world and the truth is it will probably be worse in another decade. Because we do not learn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 25, 2018 @ 05:59:53
So true…. But I hope it gets better… We have to hope that at least…
LikeLike
Jun 25, 2018 @ 07:23:00
I won’t puncture your expectations but lets say we become used to coping better. 🤐
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 25, 2018 @ 07:47:30
🤐 indeed!
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 16:13:08
This makes me sad. I wish kids could still run around like we did.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 16:16:18
I know Tiffany.. me too…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 14:15:35
Our world is turning into a very scary place. I feel so sad for my boys because they don’t get to have the same freedoms I had when I was their age. I hope they grow up confident, but careful. It’s a balancing act that’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 14:46:41
And we as parents need to act like to scales…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 14:52:21
Yes. It’s a hard thing to do sometimes. I feel your pain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 14:55:22
♥️
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 12:41:05
Well said and it is a concern everywhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 12:52:44
It truly is
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:11:50
Being a parent or a teenager seems so much more stressful and worrisome that it was or should be. Liked you I remember playing out with friends and family when I was younger, yes bad things still happened, but those bad things seemed so few and unlikely. Now (maybe partly due to media) bad is all we seem to hear about. It can make a scary world.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:32:49
You’re right Gemma. Media has a whole lot to answer for. For sure bad things happened when we were younger too, but we just didn’t know them so we went off playing like we should have done. Now everyone knows too much so we’re just all too scared. It’s no fun being a kid or a parent these situations…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 09:03:55
It is a whole ball of worry. A truly terrible thing happened at a park in my local town to two very young girls. It will never leave my mind x the world has changed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:30:47
And it’s not changed for the better really has it either? I’ll still try to make my children independent but I’ll be doing it with such a worry going on inside my head…
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 18:14:19
It is hard Ritu xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 18:24:09
Truly 🙄
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 08:47:00
Unbelievably a few elderly that we visit here still leave their places unlocked, I keep telling them that its great that their communities keep an eye on them though it only takes one teenager with a grudge and the story doesn’t end so well. I go with my gut instinct and trust no one until they prove otherwise. There were also creepy people [for a better word] when we were growing up, we just knew where they lived and to avoid them 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:29:27
Things change… But they don’t… If you know what I mean.
We are more aware of all going on around us because of the media but I’m sure there was plenty happening back in our days too. We just didn’t know it. Things just don’t feel safe nowadays
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:41:09
I think it’s called the Media 🙂 More people, lack of accountability plus other things and like you say things don’t change and they do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 10:47:23
😊 indeed 😊
LikeLike
Jun 24, 2018 @ 08:18:56
This makes me so sad. I am happy to be here in western Germany. The kids still are able to play outside and walk alone together. But for how much longer?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 24, 2018 @ 08:39:26
I hope this fear ends soon… But I doubt it will be in the years whilst my own kids are young…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 23, 2018 @ 09:53:11
I believe this situation now affects everyone, Ritu, not just children. I can remember the days you described. Back then, there were communities. Everyone knew each other and nobody had any problems about calling into their neighbours and leaving the doors unlocked and windows open.
Anti-social behaviour is one of the biggest problems we now face. You only have to look at what happened at Royal Ascot last year where groups of adult men and women were filmed fighting to see that almost nowhere is safe. It’s why many people now choose to stay at home rather than go on a family night out. I’ve also been reading about people who end up having an evening out to the cinema ruined by the anti-social behaviour of a few. It’s such a sad fact of today’s world.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jun 23, 2018 @ 09:54:26
It really is a sad fact of today’s world… And we call ourselves a developed society…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 15:49:22
It sounds like life in the UK has changed a lot for the worse, Ritu. There is no freedom at all for my children as the crime in South Africa is very violent and prolific.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 15:54:53
The violence is escalating here, which makes it harder to willingly want to send your children out alone. I am so conscious that they need to develop certain independence skills, but how? I do try, but the world is making it so hard… Things aren’t good…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 13:41:24
I feel exactly the same way, Ritu. It seems like a child’s normal way to grow up is being ripped away. How else can they gain those important skills without the place, the park? It is so scary for parents, too. Sigh!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 15:53:16
Jennie, it is a minefield!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 16:11:03
So sad… ☹️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 16:17:20
Childhoods are being lost…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 16:54:54
😢
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 00:29:27
It’s such a difficult decision to make. So much harder than it used to be…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 05:49:25
You’re right there…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 00:16:29
Reblogged this on powerfulwomenreaders.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 05:49:10
Thank you Rae xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 23:45:23
World has lost its innocence. Forget about kids, even adults are not safe.
Just two weeks back, two youth in their late twenties in my home state in India went to visit a waterfalls in a remote hilly area. When they were coming back after the visit, some villagers stopped their vehicle and lynched them to death. Suspicion is on fake social media news that was circulating in the area that child lifters were roaming in the area ( no proof that any one was abducted). Why the two youths were stopped? One was a musician with long hair and dreadlocks and looked like “child lifters” (sic). He came to visit his family on vacation from his work place in western India.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 05:48:59
That is just so sad… What is our world coming to?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:56:43
Sadly the time when children could run free has gone we will never see it’s like again. The world has become a sad dark place . The police have no got the manpower to be on view . I am sad for my grandchildren. 💜💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 19:32:19
I know sis… It makes me wonder why we bring new life into this world… By then, maybe one of those new souls will be the one to cause change 💜
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 19:34:21
Yes that is a great thought to hold on to 💜💜💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 20:09:09
Holding on to it sis xxx
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 20:09:36
💜💜💜💜
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:14:03
I remember walking to and from school, to and from the youth club, even to and from work, usually on my own and in the dark. These days, there ar eplaces I will not go after a certain time alone, and even if I’m with Hubby, I’m nervous should I see a group of youths or kids on bikes.
We’ve been saying for years to bring back the Bobbies on the Beat, but to be honest, I don’t think even that would make me feel our streets are any safer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:22:11
See… Even adults feel intimidated…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 15:51:33
So true Ritu! Time has changed not always to the best.Today new challenges awaiting the children. Have a good week. Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:54:49
New time, new challenges eh Michael…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 15:43:37
Yep, played outside all the time, all day long. Rode my bike to the library and to my sister’s house 10 blocks away. No cellphones to tell anyone when I got there and didn’t think about it at all. Now I wouldn’t even let my kids walk to their friend’s house around the corner without going to the corner myself and watching them cross the street. Their parent’s mom would walk them back to the corner. We have our daughter (who is an adult!) send us a message when she gets where she is going. Sad and scary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:54:28
It takes all my will power to stop watching him when he walks off somewhere… But I have to do this…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 15:36:54
I am glad and feel blessed that my kids still could play wherever outside the house they wanted. They went to see their friends by bike or per pedes or met at a playground. Although bad things can happen everywhere we are still lucky to live in a country where kids can still feel free to live and explore.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:53:48
You are Indeed blessed. It is scary to thing what could happen…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 19:20:57
Definitely!! There are so many dangers everywhere. At least the playgrounds should be safe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 19:33:10
You would hope sis….
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 14:49:56
Horrid worries that simply are a sign of the times. It’s not the same world. Me, I put both of my kids in karate and bought myself a gun. I’ve never used the gun except on practice ranges but my thirteen-year-old daughter used her karate training when a larger boy attacked her. She got in trouble for beating on him (hard to believe) and I applauded her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:53:18
You have to prepare your kids… But how sad that we have to do this…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 14:42:12
It is truly a different era Sister. When I was growing up, you knew mostly everyone in the neighborhood and you could hang out in the park with friends and not have that dark cloud of impending trouble hanging over. You want your kids to be safe and at the same time enjoy the youth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:52:10
Oh for the good old days Brother…. Life was simpler and happier then too…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 13:33:14
So much simpler Sister! Fun times!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 15:52:59
True dat!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 19:54:57
✋🏽
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 14:33:33
It’s a really knotty problem and one for which I don’t think anyone has a finite answer. The root of it is the few spoiling things for the masses. Strength to you and your husband as you embark on this most difficult of parenting challenges over the coming years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:51:46
Thank you. We can but try… We clash over some ideas but ultimately we want the best for our kids. ♥️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:01:14
I know you do and you will find your way through even if you do butt heads from time to time 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:12:08
That’s life 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 14:04:31
Life is always about learning how to live life on terms that are agreeable. I wish you all the best, as I know this is most confusing. May Love prevail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:50:28
Thank you sis. Confusing is not the words….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 13:15:07
Ritu, I remember those days, too. What a world it has become. A problem like this must certainly be responsible for the secondary issues you talked about: childhood obesity, addiction to devices/screens, social isolation and loneliness. Only time will tell what sort of long term effects it will have on society en large as this generation reaches adulthood. I hope your community is able to work out a way for the park to be safe!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:50:05
We have a group of parents who have volunteered to Marshall the park in the evenings… If they are allowed. A Shame it’s come to people needing to resort to vigilante groups to make places safe… But I hope things get sorted….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:44:52
I hope so too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:45:13
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 12:46:05
My childhood was also carefree…such lovely days those were! Now, even when sending my nephew to play downstairs with his friends, we have to do so with a few dos and don’ts. You are so right. We can trust our child, but how can we trust the world? Scary and sad, indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:48:33
It is a truly sad thing that we can’t trust the world…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 12:17:25
So sad! I know the feeling. I hope to be able to let my son do things without having that sort of worry, but the world we live in now is so different than when I was young!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:47:45
It really is a different world….
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 10:57:14
Yes, a time lost. I remember during the summer I would eat breakfast and head out for ball play or bike riding. I wouldn’t come back home until sunset. Nobody thought I was in danger. Best of all I didn’t think I was in danger.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:47:27
And I’d hate my kids to grow up with that fear constantly in the back of their minds…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 10:19:03
I know how you feel, when I was young we had no phone, no tv, we all went out to play in the street and evtyo e wached out for us, the doors were open and when it was time to cone home you heard a call and it was passed on from window to window and you it was time to return home. Today it is very dangerous to even have your child go to the store to buy milk lime I used to at 8-10 years old. Great post.🌻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:46:55
Thank you.
It is so hard. Everyone has so many opinions on what we should and shouldn’t do… But ultimately it is scary…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 10:15:22
I too had a carefree childhood – biked to school – wandered around our general area exploring on my own – got the bus into town alone, and in early teens, started bike riding in ever increasing distances … on my own, which expanded to overnight stops in the oddest of places (like railway stations!).
Has the world really changed that much? The immediate answer is “Yes … of course.” … but is it really that simple? Based on the “Law of Averages”, my hometown had isolated incidents of vandalism, crime etc from a population of around 60,000. As the population increases, so will those incidents. When I left my hometown in 1975, incidents were much higher but, being a designated London over-spill city, the population had then exceeded 100,000. Coming here in 1975 (Canada – Toronto area), the news consistently reported problems, but I am now sharing the shore of Lake Ontario with a few million people.
I have no doubt that post-war child raising philosophies of many people; proliferation of self-help books (some of which are now questioned); advent of television and later computer/internet technology; more international movement and resulting cultural adjustments … and many other aspects of our society, are all contributing factors.
It is really sad that many of us live in areas were trust is a very risky attitude to have but, as the population keeps growing, and applying the “Law of Averages”, I wonder just how reasonable it is to expect much different?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:45:32
It is such a hard thing. You are right that things change with the law of averages… And I need to use my mother’s instinct a lot too so I’m not wrapping my children in cotton wool unnecessarily.
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:14:30
That’s the balancing act for any parent isn’t it. We need to give our children sufficient freedom to develop in their way, and yet protect them. “Been there …. done that” …. would not want to do it again. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:22:41
😊
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 09:07:12
I hope you can work this out. It’d not only fun, but it’s the first chance to learn the confidence of being on your own.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:42:52
I’m trying Dan. We are attempting to give him some ‘freedom’ for his birthday. He’s going out with his mates to a local shopping centre for a bite to eat and some ‘chill’ time as he puts it. I’ll be around but not with him…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:51:48
It’s hard. It seems to get harder with each generation. From everything I’ve read (that you’ve written) you seem to be a pretty good mom – I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:57:25
Thank you so much Dan… There are days (being the mum of a 10 and near 13 year old who are both prone to strops) I feel I must be the first mum ever… Then I see them say or do something and think… Must have done something right 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 08:14:23
Ritu,
I agree with TanGental above. If you can and your mother’s mind allows it, let him go them go to the park. Let them continue with their childhood games.
Susie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:40:54
I can’t rein him in Susie. He needs to flourish in his own way xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 08:11:38
Ritu this resonates with me so much – my post about play a couple of months ago is along the same lines about the issues with screentime. It’s difficult isn’t it? Councils are massively stretched with budgets that have been slashed thanks to this wonderful Government we have – so things like park wardens are scrapped as mounting costs to cover things like social care grow. The Police are stretched too with the same budget constraints. I think you have to try to let your kids have independence but assess the situation and try to make as informed a choice as possible. I would write to your local MP highlighting the issues with the park and perhaps the local newspaper too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:40:24
Rachael it is so hard. I know a group of parents have volunteered to police the park in the evenings if allowed. But that’s what it’s come to… People having to volunteer to keep the peace…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:45:47
I know it’s not good enough 😞 I’m pleased the community are pulling together though to try to do something
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:55:56
No one wants their kids to suffer… But then none of us want them hurt either…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:33:38
Exactly. It’s wrong they should feel safe to play in a park!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 18:36:32
Especially a park!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 07:38:13
There was an article yesterday about the psychological damage helicopter parenting can do so you never can win. I could say I remember the freedom of the woods and the joys of time away from adult eyes but in fairness I’d mention the bare knuckle fighting that broke out the intimidation and bullying that we had to learn to deal with. That was life as a 10 year old in leafy Surrey circa 1965. No knives that I remember, though my dad talked about having a knife pulled in Elephant and Castle in 1944when he was 17 so how different is our world? I’ve always believed as parents the greatest danger is feeling you have to do x or y because it’s become the new norrmal. Go with your instincts. I learnt to avoid the places where mean kids hung out. You only do that through trial and error. Yours will too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:38:42
Thanks His Geoffleship…
I tend to follow my instincts as I think I know best for my child but it is so hard when everyone foists their opinions on what we should and shouldn’t do… (Kind of like the post you wrote today!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 07:22:15
Yes exactly like that. Don’t you hate didacts?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 11:06:26
Totally 😁
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 07:19:26
I hesitate to “like” this post because of course I don’t like what you report. At all. But I do like that you’re drawing attention to a serious, immediate problem. Well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 20, 2018 @ 17:36:45
Thanks Barb. I know what you mean about the like(not like) thing!
It’s a situation echoed in so many places… How to handle it, I don’t know…
LikeLike
Jun 20, 2018 @ 06:50:15
I grew up in the same era..my parents knew where we were and we had fun being and playing outside. 🙂 I do understand your concerns…these are such difficult times Ritu…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jun 20, 2018 @ 11:01:22
It’s hard to strike the right balance…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 13:47:22
Yes, it is 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 21, 2018 @ 15:53:24
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jun 23, 2018 @ 16:44:33
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person