After two summers locked down, our children are welcoming the light nights and freedom with open arms.
But where does that leave us parents? Worried sick!!
With high profile teenage knife crimes and shootings hitting the news more regularly than ever, the good old days of kicking your kids out every morning of the summer holidays and not hearing from them again until tea time, are long gone.
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Upsetting the neighbours by kicking a ball is no longer the biggest worry of parents. The overbearing “risk” outside has parents forking out for expensive holiday clubs and other supervised activities over the school holidays instead.
I conducted a survey of over 500 local parents to find out if their children play out and what their biggest concerns were. Many of those who lived in cul-de-sac’s and small closes full of other young children to play with, happily let their children play out from a young age.
Do you worry about your children playing out? Share your thoughts in the comments section
But the majority of respondents said they never allowed their children to play out until they were mid way through high school. A surprising number of parents admitted to having never let their children play out alone, until their mid teens.
The biggest worry for 60% of the parents asked was the risk of violence and knife crime. Parents don’t feel safe letting their children hang out in the parks unsupervised, for fear of fighting amongst the group they’re out with, or them being approached by gangs of hostile youths.
Meanwhile, 17% of parents said their biggest fear of letting their children play out was a fear of sexual assault. This comes as no surprise, as the majority of us have a story or two to tell about being touched inappropriately, or being in a situation that in retrospect, could have gotten much worse.
Worrying that they’ll be robbed of their bike, mobile phone or headphones, was the biggest fear for 14% of the participating parents. Not surprising at all, given the value of the possessions our children are gifted for birthdays and Christmas, these days.
Peer pressure to keep up to date with technology and have that full suspension bike is huge! But when kids are out alone, its these cherished items that make them an attractive target for criminals. Only 9% of participating parents said alcohol and drugs was their biggest fear.
The benefits of being outside in nature, running around, getting their exercises and interacting socially with their peers is invaluable for children. Even that element of risk is important part of growing up that our today children are missing out on.
Children need to be able to explore their environment unsupervised and learn for themselves what they’re comfortable with, by taking part in “risky play”. Climbing trees and exploring woodland are some of the best memories from my childhood.
Children benefit from being afforded the freedom to play the way they want to, without being limited by the mindset of their guardians. The risks are undoubtedly higher nowadays. So what’s the answer? I for one feel like I’ve got a summer of worry to look forward to.
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