New York City is not the place to let your children roam freely, as Skenazy suggests

[Harry]

The creator of "Take Our Children to the Park ... And Leave Them There Day" must have kids with the judgment of Solomon - or like Mia Farrow's son Ronan, who went to Yale at age 11.

 

Writer Lenore Skenazy has declared Saturday to be a day when city parents leave kids as young as 7 alone in Central Park and other local playgrounds.

 

Skenazy wrote on her May 22 dotcom FreeRangeKids, it would be "a day to get kids outside to meet each other and relearn the lost art of playing! As opposed to PlayStationing."

 

We're down with that, but what's wrong with a little parental spying, er, supervision?

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/19/2010-05-19_ring_around_the_rosie_days_in_city_are_long_gone.html#ixzz0oTY9RkRs

[Forest Glen]

I used to read her columns in the Daily News...she makes Mike Lupica look intelligent.

[Urbanfortitude]

That's pretty stupid. I'm all for child independence but I'd never leave my kids alone in a park.

[Infamous85]

I smell a lawsuit...

[SubwayGuy]

Bring them to the park, and then leave them be, and when they get into issues with other kids let THEM work it out. This nanny state overparenting is despicable and that's why these kids never grow up and become responsible adults.

 

79% of those polled feel that "the world is just too dangerous a place." Are you effing kidding me? You're talking about taking a kid over to a park and just leaving him be, not leaving him there for hours and hours, just go grab a bite to eat and let the kids play. Sit down on a bench nearby and read a book. It's a public space, nothing's going to happen. Instead of hiding your child from perceived "predators," teach him not to engage them, not to talk to adult strangers, not to get in people's cars who they don't know...but don't sit there hiding them from the problem so that when they're old enough to be "independent" (but not mature enough) they go to a bar or a club and hang out with some strangers and wind up one of those East River cases you find out about 6 months after they go missing.

 

I'm sorry but there are just too many incompetent PTA style parents out there who think signing the kid up for the honor band and 3 sports and an afterschool program is all it takes to get him to grow into a responsible adult and that just ain't right.

[metsfan]

Leave them alone as in don't bother them, sure, but to just leave them there and go away is irresponsible.

 

- A

[Princelex]

I believe that kids should grow into being more independent but when it comes to something like a park, I think 7 is a bit too young.

[St Louis Car 09]

That would be a Pedo`s wet dream the day kids are left in the park alone.

[SubwayGuy]

That would be a Pedo`s wet dream the day kids are left in the park alone.

 

Except they're not, it's a public space filled with people. It's safe as long as there is ONE responsible adult nearby, plenty of people around, and those kids have been taught how to interact with strange adults (ie not at all).

[SoSpectacular]

The golden rule: Don't talk to strangers. You run away or find someone capable like a police officer.

[INDman]

Except they're not, it's a public space filled with people. It's safe as long as there is ONE responsible adult nearby, plenty of people around, and those kids have been taught how to interact with strange adults (ie not at all).

 

No this is a pedos dream. You do not leave you child alone in a playground of any kind. Children must be attended at all times since they like to wonder off. Having 1 person responsable for 10 or 20 kids is crazy and you can't keep an eye on them. Yes parents should leave then alone but the child should be kept in sight.

[St Louis Car 09]

The golden rule: Don't talk to strangers. You run away or find someone capable like a police officer.

After the city cut the number of police,who will the kids run to?

[SubwayGuy]

No this is a pedos dream. You do not leave you child alone in a playground of any kind. Children must be attended at all times since they like to wonder off. Having 1 person responsable for 10 or 20 kids is crazy and you can't keep an eye on them. Yes parents should leave then alone but the child should be kept in sight.

 

Teach the kids to be responsible and they won't do that. The problem is today's parents like to "empower" their kids and employ new wave methods of parenting such as "no rules" or "I let him/her participate in decision making" and the kids end up running the show and the parents shake their head.

 

If you instill discipline first by age 7 there should be no reason a kid can't stay in an enclosed area. Anything else is either a failure in parenting or not giving the kid enough credit. The dumbing down of our kids have got to stop, it's pretty apparent what the effects of it are, and they're not good. MENTAL MIDGETS.

[Urbanfortitude]

Teach the kids to be responsible and they won't do that. The problem is today's parents like to "empower" their kids and employ new wave methods of parenting such as "no rules" or "I let him/her participate in decision making" and the kids end up running the show and the parents shake their head.

 

If you instill discipline first by age 7 there should be no reason a kid can't stay in an enclosed area. Anything else is either a failure in parenting or not giving the kid enough credit. The dumbing down of our kids have got to stop, it's pretty apparent what the effects of it are, and they're not good. MENTAL MIDGETS.

 

Kids get curious regardless of how well disciplined they are. All it takes is one very convincing person and that's it. I agree with you to an extent but you never take your eyes off your children no matter how much you've disciplined them. There's always that one time you might regret it.

[SubwayGuy]

Kids get curious regardless of how well disciplined they are. All it takes is one very convincing person and that's it. I agree with you to an extent but you never take your eyes off your children no matter how much you've disciplined them. There's always that one time you might regret it.

 

Well no one is telling anyone else here how to raise their kids, but overparenting is an epidemic that shows no signs of stopping and people's irrational fear of the unknown in a big reason why.

 

As facts have borne out, many of these "sex offenders" are not lurking in playgrounds, but rather teaching kids, working in religious organizations, or etc. Does that mean that parents should sit in class and supervise what's going on in school? I don't think so. The bottom line is fear can never be used as an incentive to overreact, the consequences of it are far worse. Young people today grow up and don't take responsibility for themselves because when they're young, adults don't encourage them to. That's just bad parenting, no matter how "good" the intentions are.

 

Also read my first post, I did not suggest that you leave the kids there in the park and then just go downtown. But sit back and let the kids work out their own problems. It's sickening how many times I see two kids have a very minor dispute and in comes the adult to resolve it for them. I took that to be the point of this article - get your kids outside, off the games, and interacting with other kids. If they learn to resolve their own disputes, they won't (as adults) look to others to solve their problems for them. Nothing wrong with sitting back and letting the kids play but you can't let an irrational fear of a sex offender striking in an extremely public place deter you from letting go and letting the kid learn to grow up.

[R68 Subway Car]

I believe in child independence, but I dont want to see any situations like a Otis Toole type killing a kid who is alone with no supervision.

[Urbanfortitude]

Well no one is telling anyone else here how to raise their kids, but overparenting is an epidemic that shows no signs of stopping and people's irrational fear of the unknown in a big reason why.

 

As facts have borne out, many of these "sex offenders" are not lurking in playgrounds, but rather teaching kids, working in religious organizations, or etc. Does that mean that parents should sit in class and supervise what's going on in school? I don't think so. The bottom line is fear can never be used as an incentive to overreact, the consequences of it are far worse. Young people today grow up and don't take responsibility for themselves because when they're young, adults don't encourage them to. That's just bad parenting, no matter how "good" the intentions are.

 

Also read my first post, I did not suggest that you leave the kids there in the park and then just go downtown. But sit back and let the kids work out their own problems. It's sickening how many times I see two kids have a very minor dispute and in comes the adult to resolve it for them. I took that to be the point of this article - get your kids outside, off the games, and interacting with other kids. If they learn to resolve their own disputes, they won't (as adults) look to others to solve their problems for them. Nothing wrong with sitting back and letting the kids play but you can't let an irrational fear of a sex offender striking in an extremely public place deter you from letting go and letting the kid learn to grow up.

 

Oooh but I did read your first post. That's why I said I agree with you to some extent. Overparenting made me do a lot of the things I did. What I was disagreeing on was the wandering off part. I get your point though and digress.