Irresponsible parents

Slinwagh · 25 Jul 2007 at 11:27

After the recent Madeleine McCann publicity you would think that parents would take more care of their children.

At the back of our house are some nice apartments that were built at the same time as our house, the estate is pretty much full of professional couples, doctors etc as we are right next the a major hospital, to the front we have a nice village type green.

Somehow in one of the apartments to the rear of our house a family has moved in consisting of two "parents" and 6 children, the fappartment in question is a two bedroom apartment!!

The children in question are roughly 9 and 7 for the older two and between 2 and four foe the youngest.

Everyone has noticed that the children including the youngest 4 are pretty much left to their own devices when they are at home, one of them has nearly been hit by a resident driving into our private car park last week.

On many occasions the children come around the to front of the development onto the village green area, this is completely out of site of the parents and where they live, so far I have yet to see a parent out with them since they moved in about a month ago.

Last night when I was out with my 3 year old girl they basically tagged along with us as we were going to the local shop, roughly 500 yards down the road I had to come back home to fetch them bask as there was no way i was going to let them follow me, they are not my children but I did feel responsible for them!

We do our best by our daughter, if anything she is spoilt rotten but she is always supervised we would be mortified if anything happened to her, it beggars belief how you could let children of that age roam the streets!

Bobbler · 25 Jul 2007 at 11:51

Slinwagh said:
it beggars belief how you could let children of that age roam the streets!

Gosh, yes!
How on earth did everyone around the age of 30 in this country actually live older than 10 is beyond me as we spent all our pre-teen years on the street out of sight of our parents. We just came home for tea or when it got dark. No-one actually cared where we were, they just knew we where out with David, Bob and Fred.
I regularly went out at the age of 10-12 to other cities on the train/bus every weekend along with hundreds of other children all doing the exact same thing. Christ, at 11 I went to Blackpool with one of my mates for the entire day on our own.

sniffy · 25 Jul 2007 at 11:58

My mum didn't see me for hours as a kid. I believe the amount of child abductions hasn't really increased over the years, just the amount of press it receives.

I think 9 is an OK age to be playing across the street, maybe not the others though. I mean seriously, you probably have more chance of swallowing a bee and dying then some sicko driving up to your kids and bundling them into their car.

Deiwos · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:05

I'd be more worried about them being run over or something, than being abducted.

Its still shocking to hear of kids as young as 2-4 years old being left totally unsupervised though.

Bobbler · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:06

sniffy said:
I think 9 is an OK age to be playing across the street, maybe not the others though. I mean seriously, you probably have more chance of swallowing a bee and dying then some sicko driving up to your kids and bundling them into their car.

Dunno mate, haven't they recently been round and extracted the bees stingers on the account of them not being health and safety conscious?
At 9 I was round the estate with my 5 year old brother out on our bikes, possibly miles away from home. I used to take him to school each day on our bikes which was a couple of miles away too.
I would agree that paedos and the like where in just as big an abundance back then too. Our mum always told us to stay away from the bloke at number 23 and that was the end of that.

[TR]SweetSpotOz · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:08

Worst thing about that story:

8 people in a 2 bed apartment!?

Phone social services.

a1ex2001 · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:13

Entirely agree with the replies in this thread, from school age (4/5) on I was regularly well out of site of my parents mucking about with my mates, only rule was I had to be back when I was told and they liked to know who I was going with.

We had a right laugh doing everything from riding our bikes round the estate to chucking each other in the local river and none of us died, well not unitl we got driving licenses but that is an entirely different matter.

People need to give there kids some freedom and trust, keeping them locked up at home or strapped into the back seat of your 4x4 is not the way forward.

Kreeeee · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:14

Bobbler said:
Gosh, yes!
How on earth did everyone around the age of 30 in this country actually live older than 10 is beyond me as we spent all our pre-teen years on the street out of sight of our parents. We just came home for tea or when it got dark. No-one actually cared where we were, they just knew we where out with David, Bob and Fred.
I regularly went out at the age of 10-12 to other cities on the train/bus every weekend along with hundreds of other children all doing the exact same thing. Christ, at 11 I went to Blackpool with one of my mates for the entire day on our own.

I did all that and I'm only 20. I often feel like am am part of the last generation to do so as kids these days seem to need to be wrapped in bubble wrap and cotton woll and be made to sit on their PC or with their phones all day.

Shame.

basmic · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:17

Slinwagh said:
it beggars belief how you could let children of that age roam the streets!

Did Mummy and Daddy hold your hand until you're 18 - or do they?

I remember when I was about 9-10, I used to go out sometimes in the country side, or to the beach.

Even when I was was about 12-13, I would go on lengthy bike rides with friends, or just "being a kid" and roaming quiet train lines for a walk.

<insert Slinwagh's "OMGosh, you have irresponsible parents" comment here>

Slinwagh · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:20

basmic said:
Did Mummy and Daddy hold your hand until you're 18 - or do they?

I remember when I was about 9-10, I used to go out sometimes in the country side, or to the beach.

Even when I was was about 12-13, I would go on lengthy bike rides with friends, or just "being a kid" and roaming quiet train lines for a walk.

<insert Slinwagh's "OMGosh, you have irresponsible parents" comment here>

I did very similar things as you did at the ages you have quoted, but the children in question I am refering too are between 2 and 4.

basmic · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:23

Slinwagh said:
I did very similar things as you did at the ages you have quoted, but the children in question I am refering too are between 2 and 4.

Are you honestly telling me you've never seen 4-5 kids roam around wherever, perhaps with their youngest sister/brother? :eek:

Call it a tribe if you will - but a modern tribe.

Slinwagh · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:26

basmic said:
Are you honestly telling me you've never seen 4-5 kids roam around wherever, perhaps with their youngest sister/brother?

Call it a tribe if you will - but a modern tribe.

Yes but that doen't mean that I agree with it plus the kids in qestion I am talking about are between 2 and 4.

Kell_ee001 · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:51

As a very general rule, under the age of 5 I think children should be supervised by their parents/adults. Maybe from about 5 to 8/9 unsupervised if with an older sibling and then after that out on their own / with friends.

toadsy666 · 25 Jul 2007 at 12:55

Kreeeee said:
I did all that and I'm only 20. I often feel like am am part of the last generation to do so as kids these days seem to need to be wrapped in bubble wrap and cotton woll and be made to sit on their PC or with their phones all day.

Shame.

Ditto.

I think the 2-4yr olds are a tad young, but 9 or 10 should go out and play, run about and get dirty and into trouble. Rather than sit in and become obese.

Fireskull · 25 Jul 2007 at 13:04

Have to agree 2-4 years old and out alone is pretty iresponsible, if i was the parents i would have the older children out and play with them at least.

Though i remember being 9-10 and hated having to have bro/sis tagging along :/

I remember my when i grew up on anglesey was great i would be up and out at 9am and pack some lunch and be back for Tea time

but i think the thing was back then was being in little villages everyone knew everyone and would look out for each other, and it was all considered safe, heh getting chased by farmers through fields daily was the norm, now i bet parents would have lawsuits on them so fast its not even funny, though i cant comment on growing up in the city, my parents took me out while i was young, but i dont feel safe in big cities at 20 lol (im a big chicken) never mind letting young ones running around :/

Stretch · 25 Jul 2007 at 13:47

Slinwagh said:
I did very similar things as you did at the ages you have quoted, but the children in question I am refering too are between 2 and 4.

So a 2 year old followed you to the shop? :confused:

Kell_ee001 · 25 Jul 2007 at 13:56

Stretch said:
So a 2 year old followed you to the shop?

....

Slinwagh said:
I had to come back home to fetch them bask as there was no way i was going to let them follow me, they are not my children but I did feel responsible for them!

lemonkettaz · 25 Jul 2007 at 13:58

I was always kicking about round the fields as a nipper...

I knew how far i could go from my house other wise i got wrong.... so i guess thats what worked for me.

wrong as in wrong not.. "oh please dont do it again"... so i didnt go where i wasnt allowed until i got older...

think i was sightseeing the world by 11+ secondary school was my world wide ticket