letting 6 year old son go out and play

halo4

i let my son play outside for an hour or two but im very nervous to let him out as there are older boys who try and get him and another boy to punch each other. im always very nervous about him going outside. am i the only person who feels like this .

SusieBlue

Is there any way to invite some of the boys/girls he's friends with to play in the garden, to avoid the two nasty older boys?
They're less likely to harass him in his own garden, he gets to play with his friend and you can keep a closer eye?

iamwhoiam

halo4 wrote: »

i let my son play outside for an hour or two but im very nervous to let him out as there are older boys who try and get him and another boy to punch each other. im always very nervous about him going outside. am i the only person who feels like this .

Go out and speak to the older boys and tell them you are aware of what they are doing . Warn them that if they continue you will be knocking in to their parents . If that doesn't seem to rattle them then you will be speaking to the Garda liason officer . Your boy has a right to be out without being harassed and bullied

halo4

i have said it to them so has the other parent they are just a law onto themselves and no point saying to the parents because they dont care. i hate that i feel so nervous about him playing outside. we do things ourselves as a family to avoid him going outside most of the time .

iamwhoiam

halo4 wrote: »

i have said it to them so has the other parent they are just a law onto themselves and no point saying to the parents because they dont care. i hate that i feel so nervous about him playing outside. we do things ourselves as a family to avoid him going outside most of the time .

Speak to the liason officer in the Garda station and ask for advice
Do you have a garden ?The two boys could play there .
Failing that I would tell them he has an older cousin who is watching them and he will be very angry

starbaby2003

Maybe I’m misreading this but it sounds like one older boy is trying to get your son and another boy to hit each other ? Have you spoken to his ( other affected boy ) parents? Have they broached the boys parents?

lazygal

Don't let him outside if he's not going to be safe. I know there seems to be a view among some that children are too wrapped up and we all were let out to roam from morning to evening and it was just peachy. I have a nearly six year old and he plays where I can see him. He doesn't need to be out playing with older children who might physically or verbally abuse him. A six year old doesn't need this kind of stress.

Dravokivich

I'd just tell my son to keep away from the other kid, that's looking to get him to fight. Why does your's keep going up to them?

_Brian

halo4 wrote: »

i let my son play outside for an hour or two but im very nervous to let him out as there are older boys who try and get him and another boy to punch each other. im always very nervous about him going outside. am i the only person who feels like this .

So it sounds like you live on an area where it’s unsuitable to let a six yo out unsupervised. Your not going to be able stop these older kids causing grief.

Sunrise_Sunset

What age would most recommend as being suitable to let a kid out to play by themselves? Do you think it depends on the area? I have a 6 year old and I don't let him out to play by himself yet.

OP I would supervise his playing in this case.

Peatys

halo4 wrote: »

i let my son play outside for an hour or two but im very nervous to let him out as there are older boys who try and get him and another boy to punch each other. im always very nervous about him going outside. am i the only person who feels like this .

Stand at the bottom of the driveway and keep an eye on him. For traffic aswell as the older lads

Purple Mountain

I'm assuming this is an estate or a street?
Then, how do you expect a 6 year old to be safe when he's unsupervised?
Do you have a yard or back garden?
What's wrong with your child playing there under parental supervision?
He can play with his toys, with siblings or you invite a child into your controlled environment where he isn't in contact with anyone else without adult supervision.
He's 6. He can't be responsible for his own safety.

uck51js9zml2yt

Purple Mountain wrote: »

I'm assuming this is an estate or a street?
Then, how do you expect a 6 year old to be safe when he's unsupervised?
Do you have a yard or back garden?
What's wrong with your child playing there under parental supervision?
He can play with his toys, with siblings or you invite a child into your controlled environment where he isn't in contact with anyone else without adult supervision.
He's 6. He can't be responsible for his own safety.

Totally agree.
Can't understand how the OP would even consider letting his son out on the street on his own.

Apart from traffic and bullying, abduction is a real risk.

iamwhoiam

Foster Mango Teacher wrote: »

Totally agree.
Can't understand how the OP would even consider letting his son out on the street on his own.

Apart from traffic and bullying, abduction is a real risk.

The OP didn't actually say it was on a street . They said he was out to play . It could be a green or a play area of an apartment block

caff

Foster Mango Teacher wrote: »

Totally agree.
Can't understand how the OP would even consider letting his son out on the street on his own.

Apart from traffic and bullying, abduction is a real risk.

Ah come on, where I live there are kids of all ages running around from morning to night. It's great to see, always a few parents in the front gardens keeping an eye out. Kids should be allowed out to learn how to be independent.

my3cents

I read the title and only came to see how many posts the OP had made?

Am I just to cynical to say that to me the title shouted weekend rereg?

Stop moaning ffs

Keep an eye out for next time you see those lads bothering your child.
When it happens run out and give them a bollocking. That’s all. They’ll leave it out.
If you’re stressed like this your child is no doubt picking up on it. You don’t want that at all.
You neither should have to go through this but if you allow it, it will continue.
It’s that simple.
Kid deserves a happy carefree childhood. Don’t let anyone of any age under any circumstances get in the way of that or disrupt it.

Hope the situation is resolved soon and you can both relax

Dravokivich

my3cents wrote: »

I read the title and only came to see how many posts the OP had made?

Am I just to cynical to say that to me the title shouted weekend rereg?

Peatys wrote: »

I sometimes think the owners/operators of the site post threads they know will spilt opinion.

Gotta get them clicks

Any concerns about the sincerity of a post/thread, report the post. Please keep it off thread becuase it does nothing to encourage discussion. If anything these kind of comments are stifling.

Purple Mountain

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Keep an eye out for next time you see those lads bothering your child.
When it happens run out and give them a bollocking. That’s all. They’ll leave it out.
If you’re stressed like this your child is no doubt picking up on it. You don’t want that at all.
You neither should have to go through this but if you allow it, it will continue.
It’s that simple.
Kid deserves a happy carefree childhood. Don’t let anyone of any age under any circumstances get in the way of that or disrupt it.

Hope the situation is resolved soon and you can both relax

Talk about inflamming a situation.
What would you do if you saw another adult giving your child a 'bollocking'?

Stop moaning ffs

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Talk about inflamming a situation.
What would you do if you saw another adult giving your child a 'bollocking'?

I’d confront them and tell them (OP already has told them) to get their kid to give it the fvck up or next time it happens I’m calling the Gardaí. Simple as that.

drunkmonkey

Foster Mango Teacher wrote: »

abduction is a real risk.

Is there many kids been abducted here, I wouldn't have thought so.

Neyite

Foster Mango Teacher wrote: »

Totally agree.
Can't understand how the OP would even consider letting his son out on the street on his own.

Apart from traffic and bullying, abduction is a real risk.

Depends on where you live. Where I live there's none of those risks.

MountainAshIRL

We live in an estate with a mix of aged kids, they all play out on the green. Myself and the other parents have taught our kids to be safe, watch for cars etc. This is very beneficial for development. In general we let the kids sort out their problems/fights themselves, again excellent for development.

Only you as the parent can assess whether where you live is safe to let him out to play and know his level of safety awareness, you must also take the time to teach safety and responsibility.

Are the older kids being mean or just play fighting? Does your son enjoy playing with them or upset by it?

Its mainly boys in my estate and they are typical boys, play fighting, wrestling each other and generally messer boys. They have been given the freedom to play as the wish, within limits, and so they have learned to respect each other and understand that if you are play fighting with someone smaller or bigger then you need to adjust how you behave. Of course there is still the occasional falling out or someone getting hurt but that's part of being a childhood and important experiences to have

I'm glad they have the opportunity to play pretty much by themselves. Lots of new research is showing the importance of unstructured and semi unsupervised play for the good development of social skills

halo4

thank u all for your replys. sorry i didnt say thanks sooner as a family member passed away. things have got abit better my son can go out and play but i keep an eye

Tim Robbins

halo4 wrote: »

i let my son play outside for an hour or two but im very nervous to let him out as there are older boys who try and get him and another boy to punch each other. im always very nervous about him going outside. am i the only person who feels like this .

Our older kid I used to go out with him when he was 6 or 7.
He was shy. He is nine now and usually doesn't want me anywhere near him when he is outside.

Could you pop out with them? Bring a Football or something?