Article - Gentle parenting and freedom to play 'outdoors'

[Cass72]

I tried controlled crying for about an hour.....it didn't work out...


I love a Sunday afternoon sitting on the deck soaking up the sunshine and the laughter echoing around from my youngest son, the neighbours children bouncing on the trampoline, the boys out the front calling a race to the corner on their bikes (in turn setting all the dogs in the street off), the excited giggles from next door because daddy's got the bubbles out again. It's sad that it is becoming lest commonplace for children be outside.

When we were growing up we were told we had to be home by tea time. We had the freedom to ride our bikes up to the corner shop or a friends house.

We climbed trees.

We got up to mischief.

We played in the street.

We climbed the fence to hang out with the neighbours kids.

Times change, but is society so different or is the internet and easy access to information opening our eyes up to the dangers that the world can present to our young ones. I just hope that I have the ability to give my children (well, toddler ....the other one is 18 now!) the sense of freedom to be who they want to be.

I don't stop DS2 from climbing the fence or a tree. I let him play in the dirt, jump into a pool to see if he can swim (obviously I'm in the pool and, hey, that's how I learnt to swim) and investigate nature. If he's not dirty then he hasn't had a good day. When he gets older, and if there are children his age in the street, then I hope they can all play together and make a ton of noise ride their bikes up the street to the shops.