Poll: most Americans want to make it a crime for children to play without supervision

[daneel]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2231634.stm

[codinghorror]

@Jim_Kirk

A couple or so years ago there was an article (I might even have seen it on boingboing) interviewing a family, I think in England

How children lost the right to roam in four generations

[Seki]

[quote=“OtherMichael, post:39, topic:39585”]Seeing all these parents waiting AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DRIVEWAY with their kids drives me crazy. In so many ways.
[/quote]

I remember when my much younger cousins were about 10. Whenever they would ask if they could play with so-and-so, my aunt would first call the parents to make sure they were there and then they would plan the whole thing. I was only in my early 20’s at the time and thought that things sure got complex. I used to just yell in the door “I’ll be at Kelly’s!” and scoot away. My friends and I didn’t even see each other’s parents much. They didn’t orchestrate ‘playdates’. We just roamed the neighbourhood knocking on a few doors until we found a buddy available to play. The only time planning was involved was if it were a birthday party or big group outing.

[Jim_Kirk]

Yep, that’s the one, thanks! I got the distances off by a bit, but the gist is there.

[enso]

“Death Grip Parent” is a term I’ve heard.

[enso]

Well, except I managed to play on my own unsupervised from age 6 until adulthood… First generation latchkey kid. My mom had a job and from the time school got out until she got home around 5:30, I was on my own. I walked the mile or two between home and school all those years (and did so in about four or so different cities).

[FoolishOwl]

@chgoliz

One aspect of running around without supervision as children – as experienced by preceding generations – is that the group of children would be mixed ages, so if trouble was encountered, there would be at least one or two slightly more experienced people to deal with the problem and at least one or two additional children able to run for help.

I think this points to what’s happening as part of a process of social atomization. We don’t have working social support networks; we don’t have friends or peers who will support us when we test boundaries. We’re each isolated, afraid, and unwilling to take risks, and it’s not cowardice, but the clear-headed observation that there’s no safety net to catch us if we fall.

[anon81034786]

How’s Mitch?

Oh, good. He’s 468 months today.

[retepslluerb]

@Jardine

But there was an adult who was reasonably nearby who was responsible for me. In the case of the mother who was arrested, she was at work.

But was’t the mother in question not also nearby? I mean, “at work” doesn’t mean “is not allowed to leave their place”, save for very, very few exceptions.

[retepslluerb]

@albill

I walked the mile or two between home and school all those years (and did so in about four or so different cities).

Well, that tale’s usually “both ways uphill” but your version is even more impressive.

[catgrin]

I’m always interested in what the actual wording of the poll was. In this case, the poll question (as reported) was:

In your opinion, should parents be allowed to let their _____ year-old children play at public parks unsupervised? Or should the law require they be supervised at public parks?

There were three ages for response:

6 year-olds: 14% not require vs. 83% require
9 year-olds: 28% not require vs. 68% require
12 year-olds: 53% not require vs. 43% require

Sounds like they just got fewer answers as kids got older . . . except, here’s the script for how they actually asked the question:

Q39 In your opinion, should parents be allowed to let their [INSERT FIRST ITEM] play at public parks unsupervised? Or should the law require they be supervised at public parks?
How about parents’ [INSERT NEXT ITEM]? [READ IF NECESSARY: Should parents be allowed to let their [ITEM] play at public parks supervised, or should the law require they be supervised?]
a. 6 year old children
ASK B ONLY IF Q39A=2
b. 9 year old children
ASK C ONLY IF Q39B=2
c. 12 year old children
1 Unsupervised
2 Require supervision
8 (DO NOT READ) Don’t know
9 (DO NOT READ) Refused

So they knew in advance that the older children would have lower numbers - even if people felt that preteens needed some supervision. Here’s why this interests me: When I was a kid, one of my friends was abducted from in front of the school. She was 12. In fact:

In 74 percent of the missing children homicide cases studied, the child murder victim was female and the average age was 11 years old. (source)

There’s a perception that younger children are at greater risk, but really it’s preteen girls who may be at the greatest risk when they first venture out alone. This poll didn’t help to clear that up. The parents were also asked about letting their children play alone two questions after a question about a terrorist shooting down a plane.

Q37 How worried are you that terrorists might shoot down a passenger plane within the
United States? Are you…(READ 1-4)
1 Very worried
2 Somewhat worried
3 Not too worried [OR]
4 Not at all worried
8 (DO NOT READ) Don’t know
9 (DO NOT READ) Refused

This is why I rarely trust polls.

[TrollsOpinion]

Ok, your BFF, the troll, was about to jump all over this topic and chastise you all for your wishy-washy liberal policies… then something strange happened.

I gave the article more of my time and in doing so I found that I actually agreed with a lot of it. In other words, I found the Reason article quite reasonable.

Therefore, I echo the article… “Let your kids play in the park, for God’s sake, we’ll all be better for it.”

“We are not descended from fearful men”

[NeueHeimat]

Counter by asking if they still think if it’s worth it when the kid grows into a teen that commits suicide.

[GilbertWham]

Fuck’s sake. Captain bloody Cyborg strikes again…

[ghostly1]

I want to thank you for, in not just this thread but multiple threads, going out and doing the research most of us are too lazy to do for ourselves but are nonetheless interested in and providing thought-provoking analysis.

We may not always agree, but you’re a real asset to BoingBoing!

[retepslluerb]

@catgrin

When I was a kid, one of my friends was abducted from in front of the school. She was 12.

Very sad, but the question needs to be asked: By whom?

[catgrin]

Stranger in a van. Held for several days in a national forest. Sexual attacks. She escaped the van or probably would have died. For her privacy, that’s my extent of disclosure.

[jerwin]

I sometimes see the following ad campaign for luvs diapers

In which the parenting styles of first time moms (nervous, fearful ) is contrasted with that of second-time moms (laid back, confident, comfortable.).

If the contrast has any relevance to real world parenting styles, I wonder if helicopter parenting arises because smaller families are more common, and “trust the kid” is less well supported by personal experience.

(I’m unmarried, and don’t have kids)

[HMSGoose]

New BBS Badge: Investigator. Gumshoe? [Citation Supplier]? Detective First Class?

[IronEdithKidd]

I suppose I should’ve added a frame of reference for the walking bit. At the time we lived in Arlington, TX. Neither a bustling metropolis, nor to be considered even slightly rural. After that we moved back to Minnesota where I had to go wait for a bus, by myself (there were other kids) no matter what the weather brought. 12" of snow fell last night and today the windchill is -30F? TFB, go wait for the bus. Fast forward to this past winter in SE Michigan, school was cancelled about 5 times because the windchill got to -10F. ::whomp whomp::