Home General Chat
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options

why don't kids play in the street anymore?

2»

Comments

  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Two words: Play. Station.

    There aren't more kidnappers than before, but the media love a good scare story. Cars never stopped us playing out ten years ago. Traffic hasn't gone up much since then. The council have sold off playing fields, but not all of them.
  • Options
    SkiveSkive Posts: 15,286 Skive's The Limit
    Kids who play about in the street a quite likely to get slapped with an ASBO nowadays. You've also got TV and Play Station for a the new square eyed generation.

    It's sad.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think me daughter doesn't play out yet because she's not made friends with the other children in the street yet- new road, only child. She does play outside though, in the garden and rollerskating in the park so I'm not too worried on an activity level even though she watches a fair few DVDs. I was playing in the street from the age of four, but then I had two big brothers about, it was great though. I'm sure mine'll be out there soon, and we're in a cull-der-saqu (joke!) so I'm not worried about traffic.

    They say that though we're not consuming more cals than we were in the 50s, and that it's a more sedentary life that's leading to the nation's expanding waistlines. As well as health, street games are sooooo much cheaper than gameboys- even more incentive to get the kids playing outside more.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    playin in the streets as a kid was great .. i was a wee bastard! (but so are most children around here!)

    generally you develop a good street sense, which i think is vital! i suppose being brought up in a rougher area does have some benefits
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    why don't kids play in the street anymore?

    how in gods name would anybody know if less kids play in the street? did someone go round asking?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    um .. people tend to live in streets .. and have eyes ..
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The rougher lot kick the geekier lot off the street, and the latter find solice with their PS2.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Streets round my Area aren't that safe anymore.

    We still go out mind, but tend to not hang about much. Usually some drunk twat will come and say "Eeh, yer shtaring somethings wiff me liek? i'll fucking kicks yer arshe!" smelling of cheap beer. Or you'll get run over.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Our house backs right onto the local primary school. Mini-Ninja takes his bike out round the school alot and plays football and basketball. He also takes his remote control car out and his army soldiers and stuff. We can watch him from the kitchen window and even though he's within eye/ear shot to him he's not in the garden and feels like he's "away from home".

    But I appreciate that not everyone has that luxury. Being a father the greatest fear is abduction. When I was younger me and my brothers would dissapear into the woods with a stick for a gun and a jam sandwich in our pockets for hours and my Mum wouldn't worry. Now if I lose sight of mini-Ninj for 5mins from that window my stomach turns.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sadly I just cannot let my 8 year old out alone here, it's quite out of the question. The road we live on is WAY WAY too busy, even I feel like I'm taking my life in my hands on it sometimes. He certainly couldn't play in the road, he might as well try to play on the dual carriageway. Plus our house backs onto the canal, which almost gives me nightmares when my almost 15 year old walks down it without the dog (he's not allowed to walk down it at night full stop). A 15 year old boy on his way home from school was beaten unconscious and thrown in in broad daylight a couple of months back. About a month ago a young woman was sexually assaulted down there and about the middle of last year a man was stabbed in the head. And sorry, statistics and all aside there are just too many weirdos around here. All the parks near here are frequented by drunks, crack whores and junkies so that's that.

    It doesn't help that he is quite young for his age either.
  • Options
    SkiveSkive Posts: 15,286 Skive's The Limit
    You don't learn to become 'street wise' by sitting indoors. That's the problem.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Skive wrote:
    You don't learn to become 'street wise' by sitting indoors. That's the problem.

    I know that. But with him it's a combination of this area (it's one of the very worst I've lived in, having lived all over the place, including Southampton, Newcastle and Bristol, not just Wiltshire villages) and the fact that he's just not that aware. In fact I'm setting out on the process of having him assessed to see if he has Asperger's as I suspect he might.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also, I have to add - statistics on there being no more child abductions now etc. aside... yes in reality, the country may not necessarily be much safer than the city. I know I walked down a deserted lane with my children the day before the Russells were attacked, thinking they were safe because they were with me, never thinking for a second that maybe I wasn't safe. Plus, with the events of the last couple of weeks where, it seems, children aren't even safe in their own homes, can you blame parents for feeling that their kids definitely aren't safe in the street?
  • Options
    SkiveSkive Posts: 15,286 Skive's The Limit
    As I'm not a parent yet, I obviously can only imagine what fears you have. All I know is that playing outside as kids meant I was far healthier, and more comfortable socially than fellow pupils at my school who were prevented from going out.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    playing out ...from five years upwards ...so essential ...so healthy but ala ...almost impossible ///how sad.
    what have we built?
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    what have we built?

    The Dystopia we always feared?
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Teh_Gerbil wrote:
    The Dystopia we always feared?
    complete with surveilance ...except of your kids playing out.
    tax surveilance ...crime surveilance ...but no safety for kids ...
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    complete with surveilance ...except of your kids playing out.
    tax surveilance ...crime surveilance ...but no safety for kids ...

    Exactally... the power they have, used in all the wrong ways.

    Sad sad state to be in.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The problem is the lack of community really- you can't trust your neighbours to watch out for your kids like you used to be able to.

    I don't think things have got more dangerous in terms of abduction, but they have certainly got worse with traffic. We live in a traffic calmed zone now we've moved, 20mph with humps, and you still get twats zooming down at 45 in their vans. I wouldn't let a child of mine play out there, in a so-called "safety zone".

    I don't think generally traffic has got heavier or more dangerous, but berks in residential streets seem to be getting worse. And whilst its not really any more dangerous, as kids tend to be streetwise enough to get off the road, I don't trust other drivers.

    I suppose that's the problem really. We've gone from trusting other people, not being able to.
  • Options
    Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Yes, we lack the society now, its all "individuals" - not a community.

    And Traffic has actually increased dramatically in recent years. Plus, as you say, people don't drive carefully anymore. Some arses go up my road at 50+. Ffs.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    I don't think generally traffic has got heavier or more dangerous, .
    tjr difference from when i was a kid to today being ...every inch of kerb space is taken up with a valuable car. wasn't the case when i was a kid.

    parked cars were few and far between.

    community?

    again when i was a kid ...everyone was in and out of each others houses ...they all lived and worked together ...and owned nothing worth nicking.

    now ...people don't even know their nieghbours names or occupations ...very sad state of affairs that can only be damaging to us all.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tjr difference from when i was a kid to today being ...every inch of kerb space is taken up with a valuable car. wasn't the case when i was a kid.

    parked cars were few and far between.

    Also true when I was a kid. And almost every family that owned a car, the male took it to work in the daytime anyway.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    z01 wrote:
    um .. people tend to live in streets .. and have eyes ..
    so? Doesn't mean there's a national trend towards kids not play in the street. Kids haven't played in the street where I live since I was a kid, mostly because the parents round here make sure their kids don't play in traffic these days. Doesn't mean there aren't kids out there in the street.
  • Options
    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to play out in the streets, got beat up a few times, somebody threated to smash my head with rocks, one day somebody did actually smash my head with rocks and I needed stitches. I also remember being touched up and threatened with a screwdriver...

    I don't think it's safe to play out for most kids, not because of cars, adults or anything like that, but because of other kids.
  • Options
    Dr PirateDr Pirate Posts: 8,303 Legendary Poster
    Streets are full of car's these days.
Sign In or Register to comment.