Would You Let Your 8-Year-Old Play at the Park Without You?

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF CHILD MOLESTERS???!!!!

THIS WOMAN IS NUTS..........YOUR CHILD COULD EVEN GET SERIOUSLY INJURED ON A JUNGLE GYM ( HITTING THERE HEAD ) OR A BAD FALL, AND WHERE WOULD YOU BE??? GETTING YOUR HAIR DONE OR SOMETHING??
YOUR JOB AS A PARENT IS TO PROTECT THEM. IF YOU DON'T, WHO WILL??
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT CONCEPT, PLEASE DON'T HAVE CHILDREN!!

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LISTEN-
14 YES NO DOUBT EVEN 13 IS KOOL, BUT 8 NO WAY HAHAAAAAAAAAA ISN'T THAT ILLEGAL? I KNOW THERE'S LAWS AGAINST LEAVING KIDS UNDER 13 HOME ALONE. WHOEVER LETS THEIR KIDZ STAY AT THE PARK WITHOUT PARENTAL SUPERVISION WHEN THEY'RE 8 YEARS OLD ARE BAD PARENTS STRAIGHT UP. I BET THE PEOPLE ON HERE SAYING IT'S OKAY DON'T HAVE KIDS. GO SIT IN THE PARK FOR A WHILE AND SEE THE SHADY CHARACTERS THAT CREEP AROUND PARKS HAHAAAAAAAAAAA RICH PEOPLE DRIVE AND POOR PEOPLE LIKE BUMS WALK IN PARKS AND MOST PEOPLE HOMELESS ON THE STREET DON'T HAVE MUCH TO LIVE FOR SO THEY'RE USUALLY DRUGGED OUT AN NOT IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS, WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR KIDS AT A PARK ALONE WITH THEM? NOT TO MENTION DRUG DEALERS AN HOODLUMS USE PARKS. WHERE THE FREAK Y'ALL LIVING DISNEY LAND? THAT'S THE LAMEST ISH I'VE SEEN POSTED FOR DEEP. WHO THE F POSTED THAT ANYWAY A PEDIFILER? PEOPLE IF YOUR GOING TO LEAVE YOUR KIDS UNDER 12 SOMEWHERE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE PARENTAL SUPERVISION. THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT LINES AND STICKING UP FOR THEMSELVES AT SCHOOL ETC. ~WOWSERZ.
AND REAL TALK
MY KIDS ARE BLACKBELTS, VERY SHARP AN CAN DEAL WITH THE WORLD LIKE CHAMPS HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
AND THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY KIDS OUT THERE LIKE THAT SO QUIT HATING ON THE FUTURE GENERATION AN TAKE LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND START WITH YOURSELF. AND LIKE ICE CUBE SAYS IN THE HIT MOVIE "BOYZ IN THE HOOD" KEEP YO KIDZ OUT THE STREET! HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

PARENTS GOOGLE 8 YEAR OLD ABDUCTED IN PARK.

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I am 50 years old, grew up the 4th child of 5 in a working class area of Florida. The lessons I learned leaving the house at 10am on a Sat. or any summer day, and playing with all of the other kids til' the street lights came on, taught me life lessons that translate in business and all areas of life.

Only in the last 30 years or so have our children been home bound by fearful parents.... is the world really that different or do we just have so much more information in our face all the time that we have become paralized? Let them play, let them learn, let them be adults at 18 not 30! What better people they would be without so much focus on them every second.

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As my son is a convicted pedophile with 36 known victims including all of his sisters I say absolutely not. You may think this is a great idea but all of that great play experience can go down the tubes if just one pedophile attacks your child. I am speaking from experience and know first hand how a childhood can be ruined forever. Check your states sexual preditors database and you will be absolutely shocked by how many pedophiles live in your neighborhood or even on your street.
Try searching (your state) sexual preditors I think anyone with half a brain will see how really dangerous this kind of thinking is.

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Wow hopefully no one is taking this lady seriously. What she is announcing to the millions of pedophiles is visit all the parks because no one will be there to watch the kids.
What a dum idea!!! I take my kids to the park often but I would NEVER, EVER, LEAVE them to the world devises on their own.
You won't be reading about my kids in the newspaper.

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I agree this lady is a total nut job. The world we grew up in 20, 30 years ago was different. Anyone who takes her advice and LEAVES their child alone in the park should be arrested.

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I am torn about this, I do home daycare. I have to be with the kids, its the law.

I read the comments and all are good, kids don't know how to have fun, unless you make them or go out with them. I choose to go out with them, you let them go out alone to much they will rebel cause there is no you in there life. I am 46 we wlked from one end of town to the other, we didnt want to be with adults. I as a provider can't get the kids off me inside or out, they don't like bugs, spome won't get dirty, I am torn what do I believe?

I want the kids to be happy and no how to survive cause in the real world you can't live in a chair in front of tv or comp or games.
when they get a job how nice is going to be when they ask them why can't I do what I want I have always gotten my way.

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No I wouldn't let my 8 year old daughter or 6 year old daughter for that matter play at the park by herself. I live in the south suburbs of Chicago and we've had attempted child abductions in our neighborhood recently. We are reading about it more and more in neighboring communities as well. Do I encourage my child to play with her friends outside? Absolutely, but there always has to be an adult or babysitter with them at all times. As a result of these recent attempted abductions, i have been spending even more time with my child and that is a good thing, they need supervision. I see parents popping out more and more kids and then sending them out to play. Here's a concept, if you can't keep an eye on them then you have too many. Ask them this, would you rather have another brother or sister or would you rather mommy & daddy spend more time with you. I guarantee they'd rather have more mommy & daddy time!

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I heard you out and discovered that you are a complete idiot. Horrid reasoning, logic, and basically crap, crap, crap.

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Have we parents become so lazy and uninvolved in our children's lives that we must send our 7 and 8 year olds off to the park by themselves? I'm all for free play and allowing them to interact with other children with limited supervision... but alone? No, I think I'll pass. My kids play at the park frequently through the week and although I may be sitting on a bench nearby or ocassionally spotting them when they climb up high, I don't see any signs from them that these actions are stunting their social growth or ability to be independent and self reliant. We are parents and they are children for a reason. It is our responsibility, right and simple need to care for them and encourage them. Kids are already growing up way too quickly these days, let's not give them an extra nudge.

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I'm not down with this idea at all. The closest park to our house is 30 minutes away and it's next to a busy street. I couldn't imagine driving 30 minutes to a park and dropping off a 8-year-old and then driving off and parking somewhere I couldn't see him so he can have "free play." What's wrong with sitting on a bench on the edge of the park and reading a book and being able to periodically look up and see your child? When I do this I don't control what happens or regulate his games. Maybe the movement would be more for parents to butt-out while at a park with their kids and not just leave their kids somewhere alone.

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I think it's just a matter of the cons outweighing the pros. As a child my parents would let me 'explore' the neighborhood and visit friends and yes, I had some bad experiences because of it. These were neighbors that my parents were friends with and trusted but they presented themselves very differently when my parents weren't around. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'd rather be as the old saying goes, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I would never want my children to experience what I experienced,and for the person that presented the example of a car accident, there are safety precautions that you take when driving, and although not everything can be prevented every time, you do take all the precautions necessary to be safe. Just the same, you take safety precautions with your children and supervise them when they play. They can enjoy themselves just the same with you there. Leaving them alone is just trying to prove an unnecessary point. If you can prevent something from happening by just being there, then why not do it. It's just like putting on a seat belt when you drive.

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Really bad idea, unless your park is at the end of the street. My son gets "free play" in the neighborhood with his neighbor friends; but I need to know where he plans to be, who he'll be playing with and when he will be back. I also will be calling the parents if there is any indication at any time that I do not know where he is. I would never allow him however, to go to the park alone. It isn't safe and does not make any sense. I think it is common for people to think it was so much different "back in their day," but it's really not. Safety has to be number one if you treasure your child and his childhood; but how you allow "freeplay" just has to work in the best way according to where you live. In this day and age, claiming a "leave your kid at the park day" could only come from someone who is either not a parent, or a parent whose park is within a stone's throw from her home. Children actually have an inner awareness of when they are safe and when they are not; I believe the idea of "taking your kid to the park and leaving them there" is wrong because some kids handle a certain amount of independance better than others....it has to factor in all kinds of "givens" such as birth-order, only child vs. one of many siblings and so on. Parents need to do their job as parents; always be the person who makes sure that they are providing the environment where children can play "freely" AND "safely".

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WOW! How stupid can we be? There are many, many, MANY cases of children getting hurt, killed and kidnapped. I don't think it is just cause of being unattended at a park... BUT I would not let my Child Out alone, thats for frakin sure. Plus does the park have a slide, some climbing unit, how about some ones unattended PUNK KID who plays there... And guess what your at home taking a bath and your 7 yearold is at the park and got pushed off the slide or tripped and now is laying on the ground with a broken arm and some parent is there and have no idea who you are and next thing you know... You go to pick your child up at the park and he isn't there. Oh lucky for you some nice lady who called 911 let you know while you were soaking in the bath your child was taken over the the Local Hospital due to an injury... How much FREEDOM are you really going to give you kid? Plus how hard is it to put on a seat belt in car? So how hard is it to WATCH your OFFSRPING!!!

That is if you care!

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