Walking around my town and even my own building I see children that can not be anymore then 6/7 years old out wondering the streets with out there parents. Is it just me being an over protective mother? Or does that seem normal to you?

i'm the same way, i dont let my kids out of my sight, or go anywhere without adult supervision. there have been too many kidnapping/child murders in my area.

Just my take on this subject, is parents don't watch there kids any way's not sure why or what the deal is. I mean I work at a Target and even go to other stores and noticed that kids as little as maybe 4 or 5 maybe older just walking by them self's and or don't even know where there mom and dad is because there mom or dad just let them walk off, makes me wonder why there mom or dad even has kids if there not gonna keep an eye on them in the first place.

I'm sorry if that was uncalled for her but I mean yes there are way to many wiredos out there who will just go up and pick up your kid and take off if you don't watch em etc.

So why even bother having kids if you don't even care to keep an eye on them in the first place and or next to you or something.

I know what you mean.. I don't let my kids do anything unsupervised either. At 25 and 20, they are getting quite annoyed.

Kinda sorta...i mean if you live in a bad area...then no. I think kids need a little bit of freedom. I'm not saying you shouldn't keep an eye out the window at them, but I think if you never let them go out and around at young ages they become hermits.

It is a shame that the times have changed so much, there was a time when I was younger that parents didn't have to worry so much about everything. I roamed the streets when I was as young as 6.
Those times have left the building...

So, I can see your worries.

I know exactly how you feel luv I feel the same way. My two boys are 6 and 4, and in my trailer park, the six year old is allowed to ride his bike the length of our street, and the four year old half that distance. However, I have a good relationship with several of the neighbors so if they manage to do soemthing without my catching it myself I WILL know about it shortly, lol. Perfect example, my four year old decided he had to go pee too bad to come home, lol... Well you can imagine him and the tree

the neighbor brought him home and told me what happened. We both laughed about it after I sent him to a time out, but you can see how I am lucky on this.

If I did not have this relationship with the neighbors they would not be able to even ride their bikes unless I was outside with them.

I think I am a very over-protective mom...my son is 12 and I don't let him go out alone to do that much. If he does go out, I am sitting right there either on my balcony or by the window so I can see him. If he does go out, he can't leave our sidewalk...and then his older brother (19) is right there watching every move he makes!!

To me it seems we have to many KIDS having kids.
Children mean lots of responsibility & sacrifice.
Had my first when I was 18, son was late 20's before he married & started a family. Like his way better.
Think people need to spend some time growing before having kids & it is alot easier w/2 parents than 1. Seems lots of real young divorces, some marriages don't last 2-3 yrs. I'm not judging, just wonder if they spent much time getting to know eachother.

Saturday morn, early ramblings.

well it depends

when i was 6

i walked around town alone

but then everyone around there

watched out for everyone and new everyone else

and there were no 24 hour news channels

telling about so and so

got abducted and so and so got killed

all the time

it happened but was not glamorized or dramatized like it is now

so it is all a perspective

yeah, i grew up in a very small town as well, so i had pretty much free reign, but not here, too scared for my children.

my son plays in the neighborhood and if hetakes off past my limits then he is grounded for weeks.As for the store my little angel has booked off before and thought it was funny to hide ,causing a code adam in Wal-mart.Needless to say he had a very red bottom.

When I was little....I swear my mom tried to lose me in stores....I was always the one going up to people asking for the mommy with the white hair (bleached blonde).

Now, when my son was little he was basically stuck to me with crazy glue. I think I may have abandonment issues because of my mom!!!

i need crazy glue to keep track of mine..jeesh.

Mine is never out of my sight. I reckon thats just part of being a responsible parent?!

i think it depends on the child...

i allow my nine- and eleven-year-olds to go in the front yard, across the street...and OCCASIONALLY to the neighbors, if wendy is home to watch them. it's very new for the nine-year-old to be allowed out without me. i can't imagine letting them out any younger.

I used to live and work on a farm, and the parents who lived/worked there allowed their children to run around and do whatever they wanted, which often caused concern amongst the people that bought their produce there. There are many sharp objects lying around a farm, large heavy items stacked up, machinery, it can be a dangerous place. The thing is, though, that it seemed to -work-. Because they were given freedom, they weren't rebellious. On the rare occasions that parents placed limits on their children's behavior (for safety's sake) the children had absolute respect for those limits. It seemed like they were always exploring, sticking their nose into something, examining, playing, and I wondered at how much better they might understand the world because they were allowed to explore.

I'm not saying this is a good or bad method for raising children - I don't know if I would have that much trust as a parent. I'm just saying that it seemed to work in those circumstances. And I saw those kids exercising good judgment and caution, on their own.

i was raised on a farm, in my early years...and i pretty much got to run all over the property, without restraint. i had several acres of land to explore...

of course, there were no PEOPLE to be afraid of there...

Thats scary, its such an unsafe world,I would be tempted to call the cops or child protective services.

hmmmmm good topic...


Parents tend to have real diverse views of what seems reasonable in regards to free reign and for what age.

My daughter does NOT go outside alone for any extended time. She is 16. She isnt allowed overnights anymore, she is to old. I rarely allowed it when she was younger. When she has her alone friend time, its w/parents in the home, supervised. Otherwise they will go do things in groups, my son is with her to babysit her almost always, unless its church(then gods watchin).. .. he is younger.. 15.. he goes outside w/his friends, I only let him do that very very seldom, and he has to check in every hour. I am more comfortable when they are supervised by adults. I believe there are no reasons for kids to be left unattended at any age.. kids get bored and have very extensive imaginations, and well, shyt happens!

So many parents are doing it alone these days and compensation seems the rule. Moms try to outdo the dads and vise versa which leads to children of all ages calling the shots. Unlike that modern premise, my seven year old daughter sees friends where either myself or the other parents are present. Movies, trips to the mall, park or playground are all done with an adult in attendance. Lots of my daughter's friends are dropped off here or there with one or two other kids and left to do their own thing. I just don't see that as realistic in most situations now. If the only thing we ever accomplish as parents is showing our children how important they are and how much we care, then I think that is pretty darn good.