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[TBM]

Huffington Post reported recently that with children today spending only half the time their parents did outdoors, we are producing an “unsociable, unimaginative and inactive generation.”

http://returntonow.net/2016/03/28/kids-spend-less-time-outdoors-than-prisoners/

We ought to reverse this trend before it gets out of hand!

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.

[MadPlanter]

Yes its appalling for sure. I do want it to turn around for the better though.

[Radium]

When I was a kid, aside from sleep and school time, I spent the rest of 24/7 outside wandering the city and outskirts.

Everyday my parents either came searching for me, or if they couldn't find me, they waited for me at home to spank me.

Soon they realized that no amount of spanking is going to prevent this feral kitten from his wandering hobby.

They stopped worrying because they came to believe I could look after myself after they found out about the places I had visited (underground waste water tunnels, addict filled ruins, etc).

I wouldn't be the person I am today if I spent that time in home reading/writing on social networks.

I'm very sorry for today's kids.

But the reason today's parents don't allow their kids to go out is somehow justified.
During my childhood, many families had at least 5 kids, and they didn't care much if they lost 1 or 2 in the process of growing real men and women.

But today, parents can't risk losing their only 1 or 2 kids, so they lock them up, and prefer to grow adult children.

======================

I won't have any kids until I'm able to have at least 5 kids.
Yes, either +5 or none at all.

And I will let to grow free, and only direct and advise them. I will not enforce anything.
At last, I will let the most desirable one of them to inherit 90% of my wealth.
The best breed will take the biggest piece of cake.

I don't like lazy and/or dumb children, especially grandchildren.

IMO, equal wealth inheritance is wrong, and divides the capital built by parents into little pieces of nothingness.

Imagine a pharmaceutical company, if the owner give it to all of his/her 5 offsprings, the company will be divided and disbanded.

2 Likes plantlight and LIBERTYNY like this.

[Frog Pajamas]

Believe it or not, I've actually had the cops knock on my door because some cranky neighbor called and complained that my then about 8 year old son and his friend were playing soccer in the neighborhood green area. 

It really, really sucks. These days in the US, if you let your kids wander free, you also have to expect that interference from social services is a possibility.

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.

[TBM]

You can get child services called on you just for letting your kids walk to and from school if your house isn't considered close enough!

[oplopanax]

Yea it is crazy. A friend of mine had cps called on her for letting her kid walk to school, couldnt have been more than ten blocks...

[LIBERTYNY]

 2-3 years ago someone was actually arrested for letting their children (pre-teen) play in the front yard when their parents were at home

Electronics have killed childhood, and nobody realy cares ! !   What are going to be the unforeseen long term repercussions ? ?   We know kids are alot fatter, generaly unhealthier, what else ? ?

 They may be a whizz with electronics but practical hands one skills are becoming lost arts . . .  Also we (americans atleast) are stupider then our parents / grand parrents / great grandparents ect. ect.   Ever see turn of the century school textbooks ? 

  Hate The State

[MadPlanter]

Liberty you couldn't have said it better! Hate the State! In fact our entire government isn't truly a government at all. By definition it is actually a state all things considered.

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.

[TBM]

Well I wouldn't say that everything is plummeting beyond repair... I would like to think that with enough political action and people standing up and demanding our elected officials to do their jobs (or we'll vote them out) should at least get the ball rolling.

Don't hate the state, hate who you didn't vote for!

[Greentoe]

I'm not the biggest fan of our government, but I'd be hesitant to put the blame on them for kids spending more of their free time staring at screens than running around outside being kids and be even more hesitant to expect them to be the ones to change that.

Parents being arrested for allowing their kids to play in their yard or nosy neighbors calling cops because kids are playing soccer without parental supervision is ridiculous, but I don't think that's the root of why kids spend less time outdoors than prisoners.

1 Like TBM likes this.

[plantlight]

Yep,  mom faces felony charge for letting child play outside:
http://www.cbs8.com/story/30571051/mom-facing-charges-after-allowing-4-year-old-to-play-outside-alone
Suppose he won't be playing outside much anymore.

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.

[TBM]

I guarantee you that my parents let me do very similar things when I was 4, and my parent's didn't have CPS called on them cause of it. It's stories like this which show how much fear people have anymore. The article even says that the person who made the call in was only wanting a warning issued and not to have it escalated so highly. It's sad to know that the 4 year old will probably have inappropriate fears of playing outside due to this. The only thing parents can really do to prevent this unfortunately is to be fully aware of their local laws regarding child safety. Local laws very greatly on what age they believe it's appropriate to leave a child at home alone, or how old a child can be to supervise a younger child alone, or to allow a child to be outside alone unsupervised. If you don't like your local laws, either petition to have them changed, or move.

I see this topic is getting quite touchy, I started this thread to try to demonstrate the way things are headed and how we should try to keep kids outside and exploring the world. It wasn't my intention for it to become this political, but I suppose I should have seen that coming.

One possible solution for people in the US is to plan nature walks and campouts at local and state parks periodically to keep them connected with nature. You could even have your kids invite their friends (and their parents) along.

I know one method my parents used to encourage my sister and I to stay outside (instead of watch TV) was 'for every hour and a half spent outside, you'd get a scoop of ice cream'.

Please try to stay on topic!

1 Like plantlight likes this.

[Auxin]

Some parents truly do need a slap in the face tho.
My neighbor has two sons and is unemployed, his wife works. All day while he is supposed to be watching the kids he just plays playstation and smokes dope telling the older kid to watch the younger one.
Many Times I saw the 3 year old playing by himself in the street while the 4 year old that was supposed to be supervising him was off in the back yard. Every now and then the father would pause the playstation long enough to shout at the older one.
I said something to the guy a few times but when his 12 year old niece took to scolding him over it I let her take over.

1 Like LIBERTYNY likes this.

[Radium]

That's another reason I HATE the urban life.

I believe I could be a happier, more successful and wealthier person if I was born in the suburbs instead of the condensed capital city.

I'm an experimenter type of person, and many of my ideas demand access to more physical space than I currently have.
Ideas which could make me a millionaire if I had the space to put them into practice.

But seriously, for me life means different than merely running after money.
And since the chances are high that I'm only going to live once,
Then even if living out of city means making less wealth,
I will still pack my stuff and head to the suburbs once I graduate, and bid the concrete & asphalt land a fartwell forever.