Really? What madness.

[Bossybabe]

I guess the ubiquity of news makes today's parents much more cautious.  However, it doesn't mean that their kids are in more danger nowadays.

[Sledgehead]

At the age of 11 I used to make a daily trip on the train to school some 30 miles from home.

However, I'm sure my parents were reassured that once I'd arrived at my destination, I was then under the ever watchful gaze of the Franciscan Brothers who ran the place.

Fortunately, they had a special insight into the hazards that might befall a young man.

Showering in the PE block for instance, with its multitude of potential hazards - slipping, scalding etc -  required extra vigilance on their part.

[ChewingGrass]

On 18/03/2017 at 10:53 AM, mooncat69 said:

At 11, I'd happily cycle 12 miles along the dual carriageway into Chester / Wales alone.

If thats the A483 its unfeasably scary now, have seen a few brave souls using it at 8pm on a summer evening for a club time-trial and thats it, the rest of the time its a big fat zero for grown up cyclists never mind kids!

[Riedquat]

On 19/03/2017 at 10:17 AM, Bossybabe said:

I guess the ubiquity of news makes today's parents much more cautious.  However, it doesn't mean that their kids are in more danger nowadays.

They're very likely in rather less danger. The question is whether or not they used to be in too much danger. Some people would say so, others prefer living over doing everything to preseve existence. That's not the same as seeking out danger, it's just not hiding under the blanket about every little thing.

[SarahBell]

19 minutes ago, Riedquat said:

They're very likely in rather less danger. The question is whether or not they used to be in too much danger. Some people would say so, others prefer living over doing everything to preseve existence. That's not the same as seeking out danger, it's just not hiding under the blanket about every little thing.

But the less life they are exposed to, the more danger they are in.
If you never let a kid walk to school then they don't learn about crossing the road on their own.

Some stats show kids play out less and don't go very far when they do.

The distance our kids stray from home on their own has shrunk by 90% since the 70s; 43% of adults think a child shouldn't play outdoors unsupervised until the age of 14. 
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health

 

[Hail the Tripod]

2 minutes ago, SarahBell said:

But the less life they are exposed to, the more danger they are in.
If you never let a kid walk to school then they don't learn about crossing the road on their own.

Some stats show kids play out less and don't go very far when they do.

The distance our kids stray from home on their own has shrunk by 90% since the 70s; 43% of adults think a child shouldn't play outdoors unsupervised until the age of 14. 
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/16/childre-nature-outside-play-health

 

How much of that is because they're just happier with the games on offer indoors now. My kids would rather stay home and play video games than go out riding on their bikes. Certainly I went out to try and meet up with friends because home was BORING when i was a kid. Home is a treasure of toys they rarely get a chance to play with, these days. Not to mention they can play Xbox games (including live chat) with any group of friends they select at a moments notice without ever leaving the living room.

[Riedquat]

11 minutes ago, SarahBell said:

But the less life they are exposed to, the more danger they are in.
If you never let a kid walk to school then they don't learn about crossing the road on their own.

If they never need to cross a road on their own because everything has been wrapped in cotton wool and organised for them then they don't need to know how to cross a road. The modern atttitude towards danger has overall, I think, reduced the chance of getting hurt, in some areas fairly significantly. It's come at the cost of treating everyone like idiots and creating huge numbers of people incapable of not being that idiot. They're much more likely to end up in a mess when left to their own devices, but are left to their own devices so rarely that the net result is fewer people getting hurt.

IMO that's not a price worth paying.

[Freeholder]

On 17/03/2017 at 1:58 PM, SarahBell said:

(A) Does your child know not to play with knives, guns, explosives, anything pointy and sharp etc?

I was taught to play with these things safely.

(B) Does your child know what to do if they injure themselves with anything in (A)

Yes did a thorough firstaid course at 13.

(C) Does your child know not to play with matches, gas, BBQs, flamethrowers etc?

Would have loved the chance

(D) Does your child know what to do if they set fire to themselves or the house with anything in (C)?

Yes knew how to use a fire blanket and fire extinguisher and call 999.

(E) Can your child prepare a simple meal without killing themself or setting fire to the house?

At 12 I could cook a roast dinner for my whole family.
(F) Does your child know what to do when cooking a meal goes wrong?

Apologise to rest of family
(G) Does your child know not to answer the door to strangers (Except maybe the person delivering the pizza they ordered as a result of (E) and (F)?

Pizza delivery not invented at this point in history.
 

 

[Unbowed]

I'm surprised he wasn't censored..

 

[The Knimbies who say No]

59 minutes ago, Hail the Tripod said:

How much of that is because they're just happier with the games on offer indoors now. My kids would rather stay home and play video games than go out riding on their bikes. Certainly I went out to try and meet up with friends because home was BORING when i was a kid. Home is a treasure of toys they rarely get a chance to play with, these days. Not to mention they can play Xbox games (including live chat) with any group of friends they select at a moments notice without ever leaving the living room.

And of course, there are many, many more vehicles around now than before which does make playing outside more hazardous. 15 million vehicles in 1970, now more than 35 million. Both from collision and air quality perspectives.

Seen anyone playing kerbie recently? (I assume it is universally known as this, chucking a football to the other side of the road to try and hit the kerb and catch it on it's return, if that makes sense). If was a crap game anyway. I've seldom seen even a group of kids on bikes though either.

[MrPin]

I'm a bit of a heath and safety strict bloke. You have to have rules, but I see the silly side of it! I don't need a hi-viz vest to collect something from the stores, but somebody sillier than me says I do!

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

9 minutes ago, The Knimbies who say No said:

And of course, there are many, many more vehicles around now than before which does make playing outside more hazardous. 15 million vehicles in 1970, now more than 35 million. Both from collision and air quality perspectives.

Seen anyone playing kerbie recently? (I assume it is universally known as this, chucking a football to the other side of the road to try and hit the kerb and catch it on it's return, if that makes sense). If was a crap game anyway. I've seldom seen even a group of kids on bikes though either.

Kerbie doesn't sound any worse than Cups or bottle tossing.

i imagine it's not just number of vehicles but average miles too. Can you imagine vehicles from the 70s doing 30k+ miles a year? Would need an oil change every month. And massive Artics doing 100s of 1000s of miles a year. Must be much higher now.

[The Knimbies who say No]

57 minutes ago, 24 year mortgage 8itch said:

Kerbie doesn't sound any worse than Cups or bottle tossing.

i imagine it's not just number of vehicles but average miles too. Can you imagine vehicles from the 70s doing 30k+ miles a year? Would need an oil change every month. And massive Artics doing 100s of 1000s of miles a year. Must be much higher now.

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-2016-how-we-travel/

50% more than early 80s, taken at face value.

[Sledgehead]

Also recall how my Dad bought my brother an air rifle. He was 14. I was 11. We had great fun shooting at targets in the back garden unsupervised. Our mates used to come around and take turns. This was all long before Call Of Duty. And of course a proper test of skill - not to mention responsibility.

When I was working in the computer games industry I mentioned this to a colleague some 15 years my junior. He was absolutely horrified and could not even contemplate handling such a "firearm", despite his penchant for shooting the cr@p out of all and sundry in first person shooters .

[Hail the Tripod]

9 minutes ago, Sledgehead said:

Also recall how my Dad bought my brother an air rifle. He was 14. I was 11. We had great fun shooting at targets in the back garden unsupervised. Our mates used to come around and take turns. This was all long before Call Of Duty. And of course a proper test of skill - not to mention responsibility.

When I was working in the computer games industry I mentioned this to a colleague some 15 years my junior. He was absolutely horrified and could not even contemplate handling such a "firearm", despite his penchant for shooting the cr@p out of all and sundry in first person shooters .

As a young teen I had a mate who had a field and a motorbike. To get our attention when we were riding around the field his mum would send his brother out to shoot us with a shotgun. If we were at the far end of the field you'd just occasionally hear a loud tap as a pellet hit your helmet. But if you were at the near end it could be like being hit by half a dozen paintballs at once.

Although the brother actually ended up in prison for firearms offences so perhaps this wasn't "OK".

[spunko2010]

10 minutes ago, Sledgehead said:

Also recall how my Dad bought my brother an air rifle. He was 14. I was 11. We had great fun shooting at targets in the back garden unsupervised. Our mates used to come around and take turns. This was all long before Call Of Duty. And of course a proper test of skill - not to mention responsibility.

When I was working in the computer games industry I mentioned this to a colleague some 15 years my junior. He was absolutely horrified and could not even contemplate handling such a "firearm", despite his penchant for shooting the cr@p out of all and sundry in first person shooters .

Your colleague sounds like a bellend. I remember doing this with my friends only about 10 years ago. I'm sure people still do it in more rural parts.

[whitevanman]

4 hours ago, The Knimbies who say No said:

And of course, there are many, many more vehicles around now than before which does make playing outside more hazardous. 15 million vehicles in 1970, now more than 35 million. Both from collision and air quality perspectives.

Seen anyone playing kerbie recently? (I assume it is universally known as this, chucking a football to the other side of the road to try and hit the kerb and catch it on it's return, if that makes sense). If was a crap game anyway. I've seldom seen even a group of kids on bikes though either.

I locked myself out of my vehicle the other day. I ended up walking 5 miles to get the spare key from home. It was a thoroughly depressing march through a typical suburban landscape. Vehicles have taken over everywhere bar a few pedestrianised or inaccessible areas. The environment is hostile to people on foot. 

Vehicles have taken away in equal measure to what they add.

[The Knimbies who say No]

33 minutes ago, whitevanman said:

I locked myself out of my vehicle the other day. I ended up walking 5 miles to get the spare key from home. It was a thoroughly depressing march through a typical suburban landscape. Vehicles have taken over everywhere bar a few pedestrianised or inaccessible areas. The environment is hostile to people on foot. 

Vehicles have taken away in equal measure to what they add.

Agreed.

[The XYY Man]

5 hours ago, MrPin said:

I'm a bit of a heath and safety strict bloke. You have to have rules, but I see the silly side of it! I don't need a hi-viz vest to collect something from the stores, but somebody sillier than me says I do!

I got caught without a hi-viz bib on chucking some scrap in the skip at work the other week.

"Andy mate, you aren't wearing a hi-viz jacket." shouts the Health and Safety fascist.

"Well since you clearly recognised me from twenty-yards away Michael, the facts suggest that I don't really need one." 

He still isn't speaking to me...

 

XYY

                                                                                                               

The dog's kennel is not the place to keep a sausage - Danish proverb

 

 

[CunningPlan]

3 hours ago, Sledgehead said:

Also recall how my Dad bought my brother an air rifle. He was 14. I was 11. We had great fun shooting at targets in the back garden unsupervised. Our mates used to come around and take turns. This was all long before Call Of Duty. And of course a proper test of skill - not to mention responsibility.

When I was working in the computer games industry I mentioned this to a colleague some 15 years my junior. He was absolutely horrified and could not even contemplate handling such a "firearm", despite his penchant for shooting the cr@p out of all and sundry in first person shooters .

Hmmmm. Might have to rethink younger son's archery hobby. An arrow will do a lot more damage than an air rifle. Though it is all BB guns nowadays.

[One-percent]

Ok, I know I could google this but can someone explain what a BB gun is?  Afaik, it's an American term. Cheers 

[SpectrumFX]

12 minutes ago, One-percent said:

Ok, I know I could google this but can someone explain what a BB gun is?  Afaik, it's an American term. Cheers 

It's a pellet gun that is powered by a spring as far as i understand it. (At least mine upstairs is )

Edit to add: Wikipedia says I'm wrong, but that's how I've always used the term.

 

 

[One-percent]

1 minute ago, SpectrumFX said:

It's a pellet gun that is powered by a spring as far as i understand it. (At least mine upstairs is )

 

 

Careful about posting on forums about you firearms.  

ta though. So is it an air rifle or summat else?

[SpectrumFX]

Just now, One-percent said:

Careful about posting on forums about you firearms.  

ta though. So is it an air rifle or summat else?

I've edited my first post. According to Wikipedia i know sweet FA about BB guns

 

[MrPin]

4 hours ago, spunko2010 said:

Your colleague sounds like a bellend. I remember doing this with my friends only about 10 years ago. I'm sure people still do it in more rural parts.

He's a total bellend!