Let them run free

[Shotgun]

Born in 1962 and growing up in a small (very low crime) town; it was common for kids to be out and about without supervision, particularly over the school holidays. Canals, woods, building sites, burns and whatnot were all regular play areas. School was about a mile away and while I don't remember how old I was when I first started walking there on my own, it must've been around 7-ish. Walked home with a couple of mates and that always took three times as long because distractions. I remember being allowed to go to Ibrox on my own to watch Rangers play Aberdeen when I couldn't have been more than about thirteen. Walked from the city centre and back. The biggest rite of passage for me though was when I got my first 'real' bike when I was twelve. I was away and never looked back.

Traffic is significantly heavier today and I suspect that would make cycling those roads a lot less pleasant / safe and I'd be leery about letting my hypothetical child ride them now. I'd at least make sure they were properly trained on the Highway Code and road etiquette before I set them loose. Being in the Scouts helped a lot with developing self-sufficiency and I wish I hadn't been such a brat back then because I could've learned a lot more than I did.

As others have said; crime is comparatively low today, which makes the ongoing paranoia about child safety an interesting one. I too blame the 24-hour news cycle and social-media led hysteria for giving the impression danger lurks around every corner. Statistics show that today, as back then, the biggest threat to a child comes from within their immediate family. Still, it's more marketable to make people believe the middle-aged single guy down the street is the real danger.

 

[Bairnardo]

We were set free and semi-feral from a young (pre-school) age. Would hang out with the “big kids” on bmx all day from about age 4/5. From about 7 we’d go off on day trips, cycling miles away, making fires to cook on, playing with knives, catapults etc. Then onto girls, booze, drugs and casual violence by early teens. Can never decide if my parents were great or terrible. 
I try and get my daughter to go out and do drugs, get smashed etc but she just sits at home doing art and supporting good causes.  

Iv heard enough to separate the good parents from the bad in this story

[Shandon Par]

5 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

35 minutes ago, Shandon Par said:

We were set free and semi-feral from a young (pre-school) age. Would hang out with the “big kids” on bmx all day from about age 4/5. From about 7 we’d go off on day trips, cycling miles away, making fires to cook on, playing with knives, catapults etc. Then onto girls, booze, drugs and casual violence by early teens. Can never decide if my parents were great or terrible. 
I try and get my daughter to go out and do drugs, get smashed etc but she just sits at home doing art and supporting good causes.  

Iv heard enough to separate the good parents from the bad in this story

You’re doing a fine job bringing up my two anyway. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

The bairn turned 11 in April. If the missus had her way she wouldn’t let her out of the garden. Even if she’s out on the street the missus is up at the window every 5 minutes checking.  I’m the total opposite. Let them run free and learn from their mistakes/near misses. The bairn is a bit of a shitebag however so that does kind of help. 
 

Reminds me of the time in Elgin where the boundaries of Hounds and Hares were pretty much the whole of Elgin. At that age as long as you were in for 10, nobody gave a flying f**k where you went.

[Jacksgranda]

27 minutes ago, Shotgun said:

Born in 1962 and growing up in a small (very low crime) town; it was common for kids to be out and about without supervision, particularly over the school holidays. Canals, woods, building sites, burns and whatnot were all regular play areas. School was about a mile away and while I don't remember how old I was when I first started walking there on my own, it must've been around 7-ish. Walked home with a couple of mates and that always took three times as long because distractions. I remember being allowed to go to Ibrox on my own to watch Rangers play Aberdeen when I couldn't have been more than about thirteen. Walked from the city centre and back. The biggest rite of passage for me though was when I got my first 'real' bike when I was twelve. I was away and never looked back.

Traffic is significantly heavier today and I suspect that would make cycling those roads a lot less pleasant / safe and I'd be leery about letting my hypothetical child ride them now. I'd at least make sure they were properly trained on the Highway Code and road etiquette before I set them loose. Being in the Scouts helped a lot with developing self-sufficiency and I wish I hadn't been such a brat back then because I could've learned a lot more than I did.

As others have said; crime is comparatively low today, which makes the ongoing paranoia about child safety an interesting one. I too blame the 24-hour news cycle and social-media led hysteria for giving the impression danger lurks around every corner. Statistics show that today, as back then, the biggest threat to a child comes from within their immediate family. Still, it's more marketable to make people believe the middle-aged single guy down the street is the real danger.

 

That's the dangerous one there

[Ron Aldo]

When I was 11 or 12 me and my best mate at the time were allowed to get the bus into Glasgow for ourselves for the first time.

We had no idea what bus to get so just jumped on the first one that said Glasgow. This was the 267 from Wishaw and it must have taken about 3 hours to get to Glasgow. On the way back we still had no idea what bus to get but knew the 267 got us there so it must get us home, cue another 3 hour trip.

Oh to be young again.

[The_Kincardine]

1 hour ago, effeffsee_the2nd said:

i think it's just availability of information that clouds peoples judgement into thinking the world is a big scary place full of danger

my parents and most of my friends folks took a fairly laidback approach to things when we were young (90s) and gave us almost complete freedom as teenagers in the early 2000 by which time we had phones, they were totaly fine with us going to brockville on our ownat age14 and up  it was common for groups of us to get the train to either glasgow or edinburgh to attend a gig where there was alcohol on sale ( it wasn't that hard to get served or have someone buy it for you in those days)  and not arrive home untill around midnight , all completely unsupervised.  i don't know how many parents would allow that today but i think it done us a lot of good in terms of finding our way in the world 

My kids went to gigs 'up London' when they were 14-16 with groups of their friends.  My only stricture was, "You leave as a group and come home as a group" and that was fine.

By the age of 14 it's counter-productive to try and micromanage (most) kids since, really, you should be lengthening 'the string' year by year anyway.

Looking back, I think about the ages of 10-15 are the hardest ones as a parent.  At 10 you know everything about them and by 15 you know only what they tell you and what their school reports say.  Not a phase I'd want to go through again!

[invergowrie arab]

This is the most Facebook da thing I have ever said but from the age of about 10 we were out from 10am to 10pm with no phone mucking about in farm machinery, swimming in quarries, climbing 50 foot trees and setting things on fire all over the place. 

I do have one scar from falling onto my head off hay bales but otherwise fine.

By 14 we were on the drink.

This summer will be my first school holidays looking after a teenage niece whilst my sister works. I fully expect her to be wandering the streets with pals as I'll be working at home. My main worry is she likes a wee shoplift but as long as she brings me something back. Drinking, smoking and drugs don't seem to be a thing with their lot now. Seem to transition from nothing straight to coke at 18.

Edited July 2, 2021 by invergowrie arab

[Bairnardo]

This is the most Facebook da thing I have ever said but from the age of about 10 we were out from 10am to 10pm with no phone mucking about in farm machinery, swimming in quarries, climbing 50 foot trees and setting things on fire all over the place. 
I do have one scar from falling onto my head off hay bales but otherwise fine.
By 14 we were on the drink.
This summer will be my first school holidays looking after a teenage niece whilst my sister works. I fully expect her to be wandering the streets with pals as I'll be working at home. My main worry is she likes a wee shoplift but as long as she brings me something back. Drinking, smoking and drugs don't seem to be a thing with their lot now. Seem to transition from nothing straight to coke at 18.

It is a facebook trope, but its also true. I think its more the going on and on about it as if it makes the current young team inadequate that defines the transition to yer da' patter for me. They live in a different world than we did. This is the same pronciple why I let mine watch small doses of the brain rot they all love on YouTube. I hate it, but its what they talk about in the playground. Its part of their world just as the things you mentioned were part of ours.

The world of kids these days is simply one we dont live in.

I wpuldnt trade my childhood for theirs, but I dount they would for mine

[Hedgecutter]

In primary school, I still remember being seriously disgruntled at my mum’s underwhelmed reaction to the news that my friend and I had cycled to the next village, a whole mile away.  I wasn’t expecting a certificate of excellence or party or anything, but I remember being crushed by the unexcited “oh, that’s good” response that I genuinely thought about it just the other day. 

As a kid, the intrepid adventure that was making your own way to another settlement without somebody driving you there felt brilliant, essentially a kids’ version of Dee Dee on the bus to Yorker.  You’d get to the road sign with the place’s name and it was like crossing into a great unknown.  Behind you was your village where you knew all the kids in your class +/- two year groups, and you could draw a map of every street and path.  In front of you?  Not a clue.  You knew absolutely nobody, anybody you met would probably beat you up.  So you got to the edge of the village, said “that’s plenty”, turned around and swiftly f***ed off to explore obscure country lanes instead .  Great times.

[Cosmic Joe]

As a bairn growing up in the Leven/Methil area in the 70s, the biggest risk was getting jumped, bitten by a stray dug or a stranger inviting you into his car to go and see non-existent puppies. 

[Newbornbairn]

1 hour ago, Cosmic Joe said:

As a bairn growing up in the Leven/Methil area in the 70s, the biggest risk was getting jumped, bitten by a stray dug or a stranger inviting you into his car to go and see non-existent puppies. 

Aye, Simon Crescent and Casan were the "badlands".

 

Obie's van was legendary amongst the housewives.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Newbornbairn

[Cosmic Joe]

13 minutes ago, Newbornbairn said:

Aye, Simon Crescent and Casan were the "badlands".

 

Obie's van was legendary amongst the housewives.

The Broom was okay, unless you were a Rangers fan. Mountfleurie could be dodgy as f**k. Simon Crescent was a no go area. 

[Newbornbairn]

10 minutes ago, Cosmic Joe said:

The Broom was okay, unless you were a Rangers fan. Mountfleurie could be dodgy as f**k. Simon Crescent was a no go area. 

I had family in Simon Crescent. It was the Methil equivalent of being a "made man".

[SlipperyP]

6 hours ago, hk blues said:

Alternatively, the availability of information makes people aware the world is a big scary place full of danger.  

I think the reality is somewhere between the old ignorance is bliss way and the new danger is lurking on every street corner thinking.  I'm pretty sure there were a fair few weirdos around when I was a young teenager but back then I'd never heard the word paedophile but my son has now and he's not close to being a teenager.  

In short, I'm not sure if the world is a more dangerous place now but we certainly are led to believe it is.  

I'm like you, pedo or other was nether a think, no need to tell my son the big bad boggy man. There is such  man

 

[SlipperyP]

6 hours ago, Jacksgranda said:

I seem to recall myself, my brother and two of our cousins going out in the morning and not coming home until the evening, but my memory might be playing tricks on me. I was 8, my brother 4.5, and our cousins were 9 & 7.

The grandchildren are all on a very tight leash, personally I would give them a bit more latitude, but orders are orders!

This is the thing why? 

[bobbykdy]

36 minutes ago, Newbornbairn said:

Aye, Simon Crescent and Casan were the "badlands".

 

Obie's van was legendary amongst the housewives.

Lived in Casan until I was 8 (old Casan before they dozed it)

When I was about 6 me and a couple of mates were mucking about lifting slabs and the two of them let it go right on my foot. Just at that a guy come out the Silver Tassie and offered to give me a "lift home" as he seen me wailing with this slab on my foot. I initially said yes then something clicked in my head that said "nah, maybe no" so  I changed my mind and limped up the road.

[SlipperyP]

THi8s thread has beome da like  I travellled........ok 

Back on topic. your kids? hoow far?

btw he made it back.....

[bobbykdy]

35 minutes ago, Cosmic Joe said:

The Broom was okay, unless you were a Rangers fan. Mountfleurie could be dodgy as f**k. Simon Crescent was a no go area. 

Used to have great fun going down to Mountfleurie from the Broom, was only allowed to cross those main roads (Kennoway/Windygates) to go to school cause there was a lollipop man on at those times, but it didn't stop me. Rumour has it there were "guys with baseball bats" patrolled Linwood Hall so we would run through their grounds hoping for a chase.

Edited July 2, 2021 by bobbykdy

[superbigal]

What age for leaving them alone at home during holidays ? We were late P7. The Wife still doesn't want the neighbours to know though [emoji53]