Topic: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children." Read 3836 times

CO2 · « **on:** February 23, 2016, 01:58:58 pm »

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

Do we shelter our kids too much? I remeber biking around my hometown for hours and my parents didn't bat an eye. I had no cellphone. Just explored Kingston, ON with my wits and sense of adventure. I was 11.

denimdaze · « **Reply #1 on:** February 23, 2016, 02:08:30 pm »

I grew up on a farm, and in the summer my siblings, cousins, and I would head to the woods. Our parents wouldn't know where we were for hours. We did tell them before we left, but they obviously weren't worried. We knew the location of every creek, waterfall, boulder, and other landmarks. And, we survived without cellphones.

I also remember a group of us kids running around at the county fair unsupervised, as young as 11 or 12 years old. It was common then. No one bothered us and we knew to stay out of trouble. We'd meet our parents at an agreed upon time before we went home.

I think we were held - and allowed to be - more accountable for ourselves back then.

Kliuchevskoi · « **Reply #2 on:** February 25, 2016, 11:20:51 am »

Quote from: CO2 on February 23, 2016, 01:58:58 pm

Do we shelter our kids too much?

Korean kids are not encouraged to be independent.

I see Korean parents actively discouraging them from doing anything on their own.

I see Korean teachers afraid to challenge the kids with new material. When they finally do, they rush to give them the answers immediately so that the kids never get to use their own brain to solve problems.

Totally mollycoddled. But by my standard, a lot of western parents also massively over-indulge their kids.

confusedsafferinkorea · « **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2016, 12:15:47 pm »

Quote from: Kliuchevskoi on February 25, 2016, 11:20:51 am

Quote from: CO2 on February 23, 2016, 01:58:58 pm
Do we shelter our kids too much?

Korean kids are not encouraged to be independent.

I see Korean parents actively discouraging them from doing anything on their own.

I see Korean teachers afraid to challenge the kids with new material. When they finally do, they rush to give them the answers immediately so that the kids never get to use their own brain to solve problems.

Totally mollycoddled. But by my standard, a lot of western parents also massively over-indulge their kids.

It is a world-wide disease. Too many little princes and princesses these days.

Action Jackson · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2016, 12:35:34 pm »

Quote from: denimdaze on February 23, 2016, 02:08:30 pm

I grew up on a farm, and in the summer my siblings, cousins, and I would head to the woods. Our parents wouldn't know where we were for hours. We did tell them before we left, but they obviously weren't worried. We knew the location of every creek, waterfall, boulder, and other landmarks. And, we survived without cellphones.

I also remember a group of us kids running around at the county fair unsupervised, as young as 11 or 12 years old. It was common then. No one bothered us and we knew to stay out of trouble. We'd meet our parents at an agreed upon time before we went home.

I think we were held - and allowed to be - more accountable for ourselves back then.

Pretty similar upbringing myself. We had to be able to hear mom holler when it was supper time and then be in before dark, other than that, it was free reign.

yfb · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2016, 12:44:03 pm »

Similar upbringing. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when "free-range children" is a movement when it should be the default.

CO2 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 25, 2016, 12:50:42 pm »

Quote from: yfb on February 25, 2016, 12:44:03 pm

Similar upbringing. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when "free-range children" is a movement when it should be the default.

I don't have a source for this, but I remember reading that you would have to leave a child on your front lawn, unattended, 24/7 for 82 years before they had a chance of being abducted. I'm all for protecting children, but having them locked in the backyard for their childhood whilst you stare through the window is doing them no favours.

CO2 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 25, 2016, 12:52:44 pm »

Also, there's a movie about the free play area in Wales.

http://playfreemovie.com/about/

eggieguffer · « **Reply #8 on:** February 25, 2016, 01:37:41 pm »

Quote from: CO2 on February 25, 2016, 12:52:44 pm

Also, there's a movie about the free play area in Wales.

http://playfreemovie.com/about/

That adventure playground sounds like a toddler's birthday party compared to the places I used to play as a kid. At the risk of sounding like one of the four Yorkshiremen, my playground was the nearby bit of wasteland which had basically been turned into a chemical waste dump by the local metal works factory. There was a lake of toxic sludge and little fires breaking out from under the ground all over the area. We used to see what things would explode on the fires or shoot at glass bottles, or each other with air rifles. When we weren't playing by the nearby river, which was so polluted it was rumoured you had to have your stomach pumped if you fell in. I'm amazed I made it to my teens.

Angelinkorea · « **Reply #9 on:** February 25, 2016, 03:34:56 pm »

My Dad was determined no to wrap us in cotton wool. He grew up on an isolated island and his childhood adventures were something else. Not all of his peer group reached adulthood.

He would take me and my siblings to do fun stuff like learn how to get out of a whirlpool or a riptide so we could later go on our own. Later when we were learning how to drive he would wait for horrible weather and then make us skid around a field and learn to control the car on snow. Great fun Needless to say my mother was not so impressed.

As an aside I wonder how the current crop of "safe space " students were raised. Maybe there is a link between a sheltered childhood and lack of resilience later on.

yirj17 · « **Reply #10 on:** February 25, 2016, 03:39:40 pm »

I do feel like there's too much coddling these days. However, I think part of it stems from fear/paranoia of something horrible like kidnapping or what have you. Then there's also the nonsense happening where people (students or parents of them) don't want to read anything they find offensive. They're missing out on some great literature and opportunities for dialogue. But I digress before I spin off on a tangent.

As for Korean teachers... I have one co-teacher who tries to stop me from teaching our elementary kids any new words. "But they don't know that word! It's not in the book!" Isn't that why I'm here? To teach?

I honestly don't think one new word is going to stress anyone out. If anything, my younger students find English fun and actually want to learn new words. To my pleasant surprise, some of the students actually recalled the new word (astronaut) the following week. The same co-teacher also tells me that I should expose the students to my culture but then gets on me for not sticking to the textbook. She's kind of contradictory at times. And don't get me started on these books lol.

Fortunately my other co-teachers enjoy learning new words and encourage me to teach new vocabulary to the students. So that's good :

CO2 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 25, 2016, 03:41:43 pm »

Quote from: Angelinkorea on February 25, 2016, 03:34:56 pm

My Dad was determined no to wrap us in cotton wool. He grew up on an isolated island and his childhood adventures were something else. Not all of his peer group reached adulthood.

He would take me and my siblings to do fun stuff like learn how to get out of a whirlpool or a riptide so we could later go on our own. Later when we were learning how to drive he would wait for horrible weather and then make us skid around a field and learn to control the car on snow. Great fun Needless to say my mother was not so impressed.

As an aside I wonder how the current crop of "safe space " students were raised. Maybe there is a link between a sheltered childhood and lack of resilience later on.

Can you put a trigger warning for extreme weather, some of us are scared of that.

west coast tatterdemalion · « **Reply #12 on:** February 25, 2016, 08:49:12 pm »

Quote from: Kliuchevskoi on February 25, 2016, 11:20:51 am

Quote from: CO2 on February 23, 2016, 01:58:58 pm
Do we shelter our kids too much?

Korean kids are not encouraged to be independent.

I see Korean parents actively discouraging them from doing anything on their own.

I see Korean teachers afraid to challenge the kids with new material. When they finally do, they rush to give them the answers immediately so that the kids never get to use their own brain to solve problems.

Totally mollycoddled. But by my standard, a lot of western parents also massively over-indulge their kids.

This. Times one billion. Spoiled and entitled children abound on this little peninsula.

oglop · « **Reply #13 on:** February 25, 2016, 11:52:05 pm »

in my after school class once, i had a mum who had bought their kid the teacher's book and not the student book. i asked why, kid (and parent) said that 'english is hard'

this book had all the answers in!

they were paying me to 'teach' their kid! a lot, too!

whatever. more money for me

maximmm · « **Reply #14 on:** February 26, 2016, 05:55:34 am »

It's more than that though -
We now have governments playing the parent policing role. You can now be arrested for leaving your child alone - even if only for a short while - I mean, hell, this has been the case for a decade or longer. When I was young, there was no such law.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11498123/Arrests-for-leaving-kids-home-alone-made-every-day.html

weigookin74 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 26, 2016, 09:41:32 am »

Quote from: yfb on February 25, 2016, 12:44:03 pm

Similar upbringing. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when "free-range children" is a movement when it should be the default.

My childhood was free too with no cell phone. But the fear of pedophiles is what I think is driving parents now to watch their kids. My guess. Put pedophiles to death and make the world a better safer place.

Topic: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children." Read 3836 times

Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

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Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."

Re: Found an interesting article on the "Over protection of children."