child out to play in the front garden?

Leslie - posted on 08/04/2010

I allow my daughter only in the back without me. We live on a dirt road but have quite a bit of traffic, not fast but the volume. There are also allot of wooded areas and I just don't trust humans nowadays. There are way too many stories about kids being kidnapped or sexually abused or killed. I checked one of the websites for offenders and there are some near, too near as far as I am concerned. She does go in the back by herself but the 2 dogs and our pet steer are back there. The dogs would not allow anything to happen and the steer is extremely curious and loves to "play" (when he is in the mood - he has a body language that he is happy an wants to play that we have noticed so when he is acting like that we tell him NO and get out of the pasture if we are in it) and of course when a steer plays with a human it hurts and can be fatal LOL Also if she were to start yelling in the back and the dogs making allot of noise, I would go out with one of the guns ready. The front is too risky with vehicle access for me just yet.

Brooke - posted on 04/13/2010

I'm also the sort of parent who tries to protect my kids, I find I have to remind myself that if I don't let them learn things now, then when they move out of home and encounter problems, they will probably just have a nervous breakdown! But this is a very personal choice, it depends on how well you know your neighbours, and how often strangers come near your place. Also, how good is your son at following set rules, such as STAY IN THE YARD AND OFF THE ROAD! If he hasn't got this one down pat, then just forget the idea until he does. Personally, I figure that if they can go somewhere on their bike alone at 10 (the age recommended by the police here in Australia) then 7 should be old enough to go in the yard alone. But like I said, it depends a lot on your area, and it is a personal choice.

Kathy - posted on 02/02/2010

I think this is a personal choice. We live in the neighborhood where I grew up-actually across the street from my mother. I know this town-having grown up here and now work as a 911 dispatcher for it. I feel perfectly safe letting my 7yr old play out front, ride his bike up and down the sidewalk, go to neighborhood friend's house, even walk a bloack to school. There are exceptions during the summer months when the fair comes to town and I check up on him alot when he is out playing. I think due to knowing the town and neighbors as I do, I am more comfortable than many parents are that aren't raising their children in their hometowns or because they are and know the risks.

Samantha - posted on 09/02/2009

I am the nervous parent that everyone says is going to hold her child back by making them scared of everything. I think it all depends on your comfort level. My yard is fenced and I have let both my children play out there without me (my youngest being 3) but I have lots of windows and they were never out of my sight. There is a website where you can look up criminals in your area. I looked at it and found out there is a man convicted of kidnapping just behind my house :/ They don't really go outside without me anymore. This is a tough one because you don't want to hold them back and you want to teach them to be independent and self sufficient but you also want to keep them safe. This probably didn't help but good luck.