Part 2: “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day”

My mother shared a story with me that when she was a kid she was allowed in 3rd grade to go to the horse pasture after school and would show up at home around dinner time. No one ever asked her to check in, no one ever packed her a snack, but the lady who owned the pasture saw her come and go. She was the youngest of five and frequently was looked after by her siblings.

I didn’t have siblings to watch over me and no pasture to play in. My mom didn’t leave me home alone tell I was 13. Her reasoning was simple; all she ever heard about in the news was all the violence.

I am a mom with three small children who need me to still do a lot for them. But maybe I do too much? Maybe I am a hover parent? After my wheels started turning I took to where else… my Facebook page to see what other people thought.

The answers were so similar across the board, people over 50 thought yes I am a hover parent and many of my generation of younger parents are. The 40 something’s remembered going outside and being allowed to play, explore and choose not to do that with their kids. The 30 something parents were able to play and explore but under watchful eyes and rarely alone.  The 20 something parents seemed very concerned about abduction, violence and sexual assault.

I don’t know about you but I want to send the message to my kids that they are capable, knowledgeable and safe. But does the news give us a sense of not being safe? Are we so connected to our social media and news outlets are our view inaccurate? We hear about the larger crimes in large areas often without knowing what the crime is like in our immediate areas.

According to the numbers our children are safe. How safe do you feel?