Children can’t walk to school alone any more. What world do we live in?
I find it such a sad state of affairs that the world we live in appears to be restricting our children more than ever before.
Last week I read an article online about our local area which stated that a ‘suspicious man in a car’ had been seen driving around two local schools. The police suspected a possible ‘child snatching plan’ and all schools in the area urged parents to make arrangements for their children to be picked up from school, instead of allowing them to walk home alone.
Of course, my girls are only five, so they’re nowhere near the age of walking to school alone, but I just think it’s so sad that even the walk to school has been taken away from our children.
Now obviously I understand that this isn’t something new. It’s not something that’s only just happened. Child abductions have been going on since the dawn of time, and I completely understand that parents are more aware of these events nowadays than ever before because of the increase in social media and news outlets who can get a new story online as it’s happening, but I have to admit that I think our children are growing up in an over cautious world.
I’m in no way saying that’s wrong because I don’t believe it is for one minute. We all want to protect our children from harm and we’ll all go to great lengths to ensure this, but is it really necessary or are we just more paranoid now than ever before?
I usually walk my girls to and from school. One day as we were walking up a lane, a girl appeared in front of us. I knew she was in the same school as the girls as she wore the same uniform, but she was a few years older. She was on her own, and it would have been around 8.40am.
As we walked behind her, she then knocked on the door of a boy she knew and they walked to school together. Nothing unusual and it’s something that my sister and I used to do when we were growing up, but I couldn’t help thinking about how easy it would have been for someone to bundle those two kids into the back of a van and disappear. There was no-one else around, aside from us. The streets were quiet and most people blinds were still down and curtains drawn.
The thought made me shudder. I want to give my children the same freedom that I had when I was growing up. In fact I’d like them to have more freedom than I had, but I can’t help worry about the ‘what ifs’.
I know we can’t live our lives wondering what might happen, but it just seems like such a scary world we’re bringing our children up in.
How do you feel about letting your children walk to school alone? How much freedom do you allow them?
4 Comments
Daddy poppins
May 23, 2017 at 7:26 am
Emily, great post.
I think we live in a society full of fear. The modern day ‘information age’ of smart phones and rolling 15 minute news channels puts everything at our fingertips. Fear and outtrage sell, for example look at the likes of the Daily Mail and Katie Hopkins and how their business models work.
It’s been pointed out that the world is actually a safer place now than at any time in the recent past. There’s always been wars and bombings and horrendous acts carried out on children and others but nowadays that information comes at you instantly and from 10 different sources. The perception is that the world is a much more dangerous place when in fact it’s just more informed.
I gave up actively watching the news in recent times. I don’t need that in my life. All this kind of ‘over information’ does is makes you stressed and worried. Now I will still skim through certain pertinent current affairs items but I don’t need snatching, murder, war or terrorism in my life. I pick and choose my news online. To be honest it’s mainly sports that I read.
I understand that I’m a lucky man being born into the small peaceful country of Ireland and that those in Syria etc don’t have the same options as me. But it’s what I’ve chosen to do based on my circumstances and I would totally advise it.
As for kids walking to school, as a child I lived 300 metres from my school and walked there by myself from the age of 7. I currently live in the countryside and so my kids will always need a lift to get to school until they get to second level. (Aged 12-13) at that point I think I’d be happy with them going by bus into the city (I’m not sure that same cold be said of my wife though).
I do hear what you are saying though too Emily. We actually moved to the countryside once our first child was 1 to take away a lot of the worries of city life.
That’s my 2 cents. Sorry about the esssay. Once again. Great thought provoking post.
Kelly Allen
May 23, 2017 at 9:39 am
I’m like this walking down the street because my two are always way ahead and I get a bit freaked. They really see no danger, which is great, but unnerving for me. We have all these safety tips about strangers, when in fact, most kidnapping or abuse cases happen with someone known to the child. How do we prepare for this?! Or how do we prepare for a van snatch? These things are, to some degree, out of our control, and that’s the scary thing. I want my kids to play out with their friends when they’re older and enjoy being innocent and free x
jeremy@thirstydaddy
May 24, 2017 at 2:46 am
there was an attempted abduction in our town a few years ago. I remember when I was a kid, we rode our bike everywhere, from a young age. I’m sure those things happened then too, we just didn’t hear about them, but having that knowledge, how can we let them roam?
Charlie Alf
June 1, 2017 at 6:32 am
I agree! I also think we live in a society of fear, but crime has become the norm. When we were growing up, children were abducted but you didn’t hear about it as much, because it wasn’t as common. And it was usually a family member or something like that, but these days people are snatching kids in broad daylight. Sex trafficking used to be something that was only do in other countries but now people are literally trolling stores and malls to find suitable children.
My sister lives in a small rural town and very near the school that her children attend. She occasionally lets them walk home. But the walkers all leave school together, so they’re usually in this big pack of ten or more kids. Shell usually meet them right where they leave from the school, or she’ll meet them halfway, but theyre still walking as a group and she’s able to watch them the whole time.