The Risks of Playing Outside

Many of today's parents had childhoods where they spent loads of time outdoors--in local parks, riding bikes around the neighborhood and to the nearby convenience store, in the front and back yards of friends--all without much adult supervision. I well remember hitting the screen door and bursting into the outside, racing down the street to see which friends were available for play and then not coming home until moms began to call us back for lunch. Afternoons and evenings after supper were spent much the same way. The only rules my mom imposed where not to go inside someone's house and to let her know if we left the neighborhood. Otherwise, I played in the ditch with friends (sounds strange, but it was a wonderful mini-eco system with water running through it, very fun stuff as a kid!), rode bikes all over the place, and generally had a lovely time.

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That's the kind of world I want my children to grow up in--a world to be explored, not feared. A world that has its moderate dangers (there is more traffic in our neighborhood than my parents') but still a world that's welcoming more than scary. And crime statistics back this up, with the U.S. Department of Justice reporting that of the 800,000 children reported "missing" in this country annually, only 115 are the result of strange abductions. Around 90% of abductees are back home within a day, with the vast majority being teenage runaways. That stranger abduction number hasn't increased in recent years, either.

In other words, America today is as safe a place for our kids to roam around as it was when today's parents were children. What's changed is the perception of that safety. Now, I'm more concerned with what other parents will do if they see my children out by themselves. I've had neighbors call me to let me know my kids were walking to the library by themselves (to which I always thank them for their concern and watching out for my kids; I'd much rather they call me than the police!). I've had friends report unknown moms following their children home to "ensure they arrived safely from the bus stop up the block."

Now there comes this story about a mother arrested for letting her 9-year-old daughter play in a local park alone, armed with a cell phone and in a populated place, while she worked at McDonald's. Another mother noticed the girl at the park two days in a row and asked her where her mother was. The answer sent this mom calling the police, who came and took the girl into child protective services and jailed the mom.

This is the type of over-reaction that's so typical of parents today, especially mothers, who see boogeymen behind every tree and danger around every corner. These mothers so want to protect their children, that they hover over them, direct their play, keep them indoors or supervise their play way too closely outdoors.

That's the risk I run every time I shoo my kids outside to play by themselves--that some well-meaning but misguided mom will freak out and, instead of simply keeping an eye on the kids, call the cops. I don't worry about cuts or broken limbs from falls or skids; I worry about other parents making a poor judgment call about my children's safety.

Maybe one day, the pendulum will swing back in the direction of commonsense and our kids will be left to play in peace. Until that day, I will still send out my children into the big, wide world without my direct supervision and hope that others will not see danger where none is found.

Until next time,
Sarah