I sometimes get made fun of for being to protective of my kids. It's like the family joke to call me Aunt Lydia. (Sorry Linds and Garrett.)But she really was the over protective mom!
(I love you Aunt Lydia! Your still my favorite Aunt Lydia! And that takes nothing away from my favorite Aunt Barbara, that reads this blog! *very diplomatic of me ,right?*)
Getting back to the original question!
So I have some wonderful friends and neighbors that let their 4/5 years play outside, in the front yard, without them there with them. What age do you let your kids play outside?
I can't even let Lexi play outside in the BACKYARD (that is fenced in) without me! Am I being over protective? Tell me if I am, PLEASE.
I know I've taught her what to do with strangers and to never cross the street without looking, but really, she's only 4. She doesn't have great reasoning skills, right?
What age do/will you let your kids play without you there?!?!?!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Questions for you mother's out there!
Posted by Katey at 6:35 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
in the fenced backyard, five years old and set some ground rules and have them repeat the rules back to you so you know they understand. My sister wouldn't let her kids out until the yard was fenced in and they are now 6 and 3. She has windows that face the backyard so she checks on them every few minutes. It's a pretty safe neighborhood (for the most part)
you should always be overprotective of your kids in this day and age but not so over protective that you seclude them from everyone except family (like my next door neighbors do and their kids have no idea how to handle other children that come up to them)
it just shows that you love them that much....don't stress too much, you are a really good mom
Colee and Emily play out back in our yard all the time. I always have the blinds open and I figure if someone tries to take them, well more power to them (ha, NOT REALLY) but yea, I'm pretty sure one of them would make such a scene kinda like they do in the middle of Target, that I would hear it! :) Anyway, I let my kids go out front too, so apparently I'm not winning "Mom of the year award". HOWEVER, I don't let them go out front on their own. There is usually about 2-3 other neighbor kids who are anywhere from 8-13 outside as well playing with them. I struggled with it at first too, but I still check in on them every now and again and they are good about asking to even go across the street (since we live in a cul-de sac which you'd see if you EVER COME TO VISIT!) Like my sidenote there??:)
Maybe when they're 16. Ok, maybe not, but there are just too many psychos out there. We are the same with our kids. We also don't have a fence, which makes it hard. I don't know what the right age is. I guess whatever feels right for you and your kids.
Stacey
p.s. Garrett is highly offended by your comment. :) I just read it to him over the phone and he got a pretty good laugh out of it!
Garrett was totally NOT offended by it. I forgot to put 'j/k' after that part of my comment...sorry. He thought it was funny. Leave it on your post. It's good for a laugh!
Ok- I'm so glad I'm not the only one who can't figure this out. We've thought about fencing a small part of the yard around the swing set & whatever for them to play in, but even then I'll be nervous to have them outside alone. As things are, the boys will NOT be roaming our 1.2 freaking acres unsupervised. I know it's rural out here, but seriously... besides, the yard is lined with drainage ditches, and there are fire ants (which Gabe's allergic to)- hello. The list goes on. There are simply too many dangerous & tempting things for kids to mess with! You know best what's good for Lexi. Besides, don't you have to go downstairs to get to your back yard? I'd be nervous just watching through the windows unless you were in the basement and could get to them right away. You're so right to be paranoid. We don't live in a time when you just send your kids out to play on the train tracks all day & hope they come home. When our grandparents we kids, parents literally couldn't supervise their kids well and maintain life at the same time. But with modern conveniences to help us out (laundry, dishes, etc.) there's no excuse for not supervising our kids. Scrapbooking and other crap can wait. Cover the essentials, then hang with the babies. I say stick to your gut.
Maybe I'm not the best person to leave a comment. Naturally, being the daughter of the over-protector, I'm going to side with you! Some things you can't control, but when it comes to protecting your kids, you know what's best! I let Maddy play in the fenced yard with neighbors, but I check on her every few minutes to make sure they are ok! Some things just aren't worth the risk...
p.s. Nick would totally disagree with every single thing I had to say... he is the exact oppposite of me when it comes to this stuff!
not being a mother yet. I don't know but I don't think you are overprotective. I think I would do the same thing. I would never let my children play in front yard by themselves it is too scary. Backyard maybe if I was watching from the window. But anytime my nieces & nephews do something I always say "be Careful". Children's lives are so fragile. You never know what could happen so it is better to be safe than sorry.
Katey I don't think that in this world we can be too overprotective unless we refuse to let our kids live life out of fear.
I follow the Spirit and realize that fear is opposite of faith. I have to seperate fear from having a truly bad feeling. I listen to those bad feelings and have stopped the kids from doing something if I truly have a bad feeling and they really listen. But if I'm just nervous and pray about it and then feel okay I know it was just me being nervous.
Seriously, Lydia get's all the jokes but I think I was almost as protective as her, just not as vocal about it.
Sara got followed home from work before. I still worry about her, even at 17.
When I tend kids now I won't let them go out in the yard alone.
Yes, I am overprotective! I admit it!
Post a Comment