This is what I don't understand and am trying to change. Parents today who readily admit that they did various things, walk to the neighborhood playground, local library, a few blocks over to friends houses, but now they will not allow their children to do the same. Parents have a false idea that the world is more dangerous and unsafe and it is not true. Facts show that there is far less violent crime now than there was in the 80s when you were running around your neighborhood. Crime gets a lot more news coverage, but it actually happens less. Kids who are being deprived the opportunity to get together with other kids without parents hovering (watching) constantly are missing out on opportunities to learn valuable skills like problem solving and getting along. Watch the movie the Sandlot, that is what childrens lives should be like. Not being hustled in mom's minivan from one adult let sporting event to the next, where adults step in settle all disputes, and run everything. Kids today are don't even realize they can get a few kids together and play ball, they think adults have to be present. Kids need to be empowered and know they can do things on their own. The unnecessary over protection of children in this country will have a very negative impact on the future. Kids need to build independence, which can only be gained by doing things like walking 10 houses in the dark to get something you forgot, independence cannot be gained while mom is watching.
I think the OP should buy a gift, have her child make a card, and have to walk it over to the birthday girls house by herself. She will feel so proud when she comes back home!
I was just reading this thread and not really thinking about a response (I think the best suggestions have been covered) until I read this.
Not really sure WHY a question about cake and singing got turned into this but here goes:
Don't assume that every area in the world is "just as safe" or "safer" than it was many years ago. That's not the case in every neighborhood all over the world.
We live in a very rural area and I have lived here my entire life. There are a lot more people living in the area now and a lot more traffic.
DD is 14. When I was her age, my friends and I used to walk to the store (about 5 miles or so) or to the community pool (about the same distance). And we never thought about danger. Mom was fine with it. Nothing every happened.
I told dd and her friend they could walk to the store one Sunday afternoon because they were bored. Before they got even 1/3 of the way there; some leering old man stopped and tried to pick them up and a bunch of guys in their 20's came by hooping and hollering at them. When the second man stopped and asked where they were going and the 20 somethings drove by for the second time--they took a turn down the driveway of a guy they know from school and called me on her cell.
Maybe the leering old man was just "being nice" and maybe not. Maybe the guys that were hooping and hollering were just "being friendly" but it made the girls uncomfortable enough to call me.
Another thing I did at her age is walk with my friends down to the creek (less than a mile from my house) to swim, lay out, socialize. Now there are still kids that live in our neighborhood that do that. BUT, there are also a lot of people from outside the area that go there and there have been numerous groups arrested for drugs, etc. down there. A crystal meth lab was busted down there.
My point to all this is that its not always safe to say that "well I did it xxx years ago so you should be safe enough". Things change, times change and every parent has to make their own decision as to whether in THEIR area, its safe enough for a kid to roam and do whatever it was mom or dad did at their age.
We live in a very low crime area, but dd is still not going to be able to do everything I did at her age and be safe.
It would be great if all kids could live in a place like is in the movie "Sandlot" but its not always that way.
