tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8759813497004409554.post2343078265673448873..comments2023-03-28T12:41:45.894-04:00Comments on The Little Grape: Free the Grape and Fear NotMari Passanantihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06899493114555183048noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8759813497004409554.post-27371570740874958402012-05-11T11:36:09.619-04:002012-05-11T11:36:09.619-04:00@ Jennifer - That sounds like a wonderful neighbor...@ Jennifer - That sounds like a wonderful neighborhood, and much like my own childhood experience.<br /><br /> Please don't let anyone make you feel badly about trusting your instincts as a mom. Kids are so much healthier when they spend time outdoors. Not to mention that unsupervised play lets them grow more confident and imaginative. They think of fascinating games when a screen or hovering adult doesn't do the thinking for them. Put differently, constantly monitored kids don't learn how to think for themselves.<br /><br />A friend who has worked in the prison system and as a victim's advocate wrote me and pointed out that 93% of crimes against children are committed by family members or close friends. "Stranger danger" is thankfully rare and the panic WAY overblown,in my humble opinion.Mari Passanantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06899493114555183048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8759813497004409554.post-85549624991801134892012-05-11T11:22:43.256-04:002012-05-11T11:22:43.256-04:00Interesting!
We live in a suburb of houston, in a...Interesting!<br /><br />We live in a suburb of houston, in a wonderful little neighborhood where my two youngest daughters play outside for a couple hours everyday. Their Wii is gathering dust and nothing makes me happier. There are about eleven children their age that play in the middle of the street: softball, basketball, hopscotch, etc. Usually, I'm inside preparing dinner while they wander in and out. My MIL (when visiting) was horrified that I let them play outside alone. But there is always a rotation of parents keeping guard. And my kitchen window overlooks the street so I can see them at any time. I do feel like a bad mom when the MIL comes over and watches over my shoulder at what I am and am not doing. But in the end, I can't think of a better way for the kids to spend their afternoons than outside with the neighbors with whom they're going to grow and share milestones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com