Safety and Kids

Last week in South London Oliver and Gillian Schonrock were warned by their kid’s school’s headmaster that they must not let their five year old and eight year old children cycle alone to school or he would report them to social services. This was despite the fact the kids are on the pavement and crossed over one busy road by a crossing guard/lollipop lady each morning. Middle class outrage and finger wagging spilled over onto the news and press about this incident; it seemed every columnist had an opinion about these people.

 

I personally agree with Schonrock’s family decision. Kids can be too suffocated with parents and eventually end up at secondary school timid and worried about catching a bus, despite being 13 years of age. That’s not a good thing.

 

In the UK we are into school holiday times and I know its much the same in the USA as my mates kids were on school break when I was there last week.

 

There is so much stress associated with looking after children when the working parents don’t get six weeks off work at the same time (wouldn’t that be crazy?). Who will keep the kids safe? Its all people seem to worry about, especially when they aren’t allowed out for five minutes on their own.

 

So, there has to be a full time programme of fun filled days for kids planned with military precision, God forbid we leave the wee cheeky monsters to their own devices.

 

When I was a kid growing up in the inner city streets of Glasgow we were basically told to get out of the house and go play somewhere safe. We didn’t have play schemes, or play dates or special kids areas where we could be safe. Basically we tried not to go near the railway track (but always ended up there anyway) we tried not to fall and drown in the local burn (but we did end up in it most times) and we stayed in the shade if the sun made a rare appearance. We couldn’t afford Factor 60 sun cream; we would have eaten that stuff! But we survived, is my point, we went out and looked after each other.

 

That doesn’t happen with children of today, the press constantly tells worried parents that paedophiles are roaming the internet and the local parks waiting to grab their precious babies, it makes them terrified of letting them leave their children out to play alone. Parents today are paranoid and petrified of letting a nine year old go to the local shops alone. I think that’s an awful shame don’t you? Especially when the facts reveal most predators of kids are within the family and kids rarely get abducted by strangers, unless you totally abandon them under the age of five.

 

I personally worry that today’s children are so over protected that they find it difficult to spread their own wings and gain some independence. It’s important that they do gather some survival skills and get to use them from childhood upwards. The Schonrock family proved that point and had to face school officials and social work threats when they tried to instill independence in their young kids.

 

There is nothing worse than watching kids sit at home all day watching the TV instead of getting out playing in the park or learning how to do shopping chores for their parents and helping out around the home.

 

My niece Ann Margaret is now letting her wee girl Abi who is aged seven cross a road at her house and go to the shops alone (albeit watched from the window and after much road safety lessons) and Abi is proud of her ‘running to the shops skills’ this is what is needed when you have kids in inner city dwellings. They need to know how to do things by themselves.

 

My own daughter Ashley was catching a bus and getting on an underground tube train from age eight and making it to school herself. The teachers balked at the very idea but supported us in helping Ashley gain independence. Watching kids being ferried to and from school by car is a sad fact of today’s busy world. I understand it can frighten adults to death worrying about their kids, but they need to learn sometime.

 

So this summer holiday, get your kids out for one day at least, get them across roads and into the park, stand at a safe distance and let them explore their surroundings and watch them grow up independent.

 

You will be doing them a favour.