Cotton Wool Children

[MookJong]

I think it's a sense of community, when I was a kid in the 80's me and my cousin used to go up to the top shops on our own and the park nearby etc. The shop owners knew us and we would always see other people about who knew who we were. I remember there would always be friends mums about who were house wives and out doing their local shopping. If you gotr in trouble you always knew there was someone who you could run and tell.

These women didn't own cars so walked to get anywhere, they were like a mini network of neighbourhood watch. People spotted each other on the street a lot more and would stop for a chat. Mums walked their kids to school together and organised coffee morning, swapped recipes etc.

Now things have changed most women are out at work and when anyone comes out of their house they jump into a car and drive off to out of town shopping where they don't know anyone.

Nothing is localised anymore, I think the world outside your door feels more disjointed and alien these days, regardless if it is just as safe there just doesn't feel like there is as much community anymore.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Correct me if im wrong but isnt aliens only half as scary as the original, seemed to be a different type of film to me

Aliens is Vietnam in space.

Also, Alien is scary because almost nothing happens. Aliens is scary because everything happens. Basically.

 

[Morba]

TBH parents that are scared that there child will be taken is so dumb is all because of the massive media about Madelin.

i disagree completely, i care a lot for my son and am worried about how things will be when he grows up. the whole madelin thing doesnt bother me or worry me at all.

 

[Manlove is my forte]

I was going to my friends house several streets away by myself at the age of 5, before I could even ride a bike. Once I could ride a bike I would go to friends houses, meet up at the park etc.

Obviously there were rules, I had to ask to go to places, and there were only certain places I could go to, I had to stick with my friends or come home immediately, I had to phone home when I got to friends houses, I had to be home for a certain time. But in the main I was allowed to come and go as I needed. My parents trusted me from a young age to behave when out in public, and I would get punished if they found out I was not behaving.

I don't think I was ever accused of hanging about causing a nuisance etc and I certainly was no chav

 

[Mr Gimp]

I remember getting up at 6 o clock in the morning and meeting my friends on our bikes and buggering off to the woods for the entire day, falling out of trees, cutting myself on barbed wire, playing in streams and smashing my shins on stuff, only coming back when we were hungry. I was 5.

You don't see things like this happening anymore unless you're properly out in the sticks as kids seem to prefer staying in despite the weather being good, and the amount of children under 8 with mobile phones is genuinely shocking (I work for a mobile retailer) and definitely doesn't help matters either as there is no longer any need to leave the house to see your friends thanks to the wonders of text messaging.
With parents being increasingly more weary of letting their children out of their sight for five minutes for fear of them either being abducted or causing a nuisance of themselves (another problem caused by fear of ramifications of punishment) and the availibility of the above mentioned I can't see it getting any better tbh

 

[Tefal]

I used to fall over and cut/bruise myself, I used to do stupid things, blew things up, electrocuted myself, and god knows what other kinds of silly things - but I was allowed to learn from my mistakes -

You've seen more battle damage than the entire French army

 

[alexakasloth]

same as, though in fairness the neighbourhood would have been safer if I wasnt allowed out

Same here.. I was such a little chav...

 

[Freefaller]

You've seen more battle damage than the entire French army

You're starting to get a little too cheeky for my liking.... I may have to mess with your account.

 

[Tefal]

You used a naughty word in your warning

 

[Wiggins]

When I were a lad!!!!

I had names for trees that me and my mate used to climb daily. We would take pack lunches and hit the fields and streams and have a right good laugh.

We used to be make Go Karts out of wood and old pushchair wheels. If I came in looking like Seth off Emmerdale, I would get a slap on the back of the legs and thrown in the bath.

Then at 12 years of age, my mum bought me a C64. Bring on Paperboy

 

[Sankari]

Are we, the current generation to blame for not giving children the freedom they need?

Just been watching the BBC news this morning (for my daily dose of scaremongering) and they did a piece on parents not letting there children go to the local shop. Children aged 10-13.

Then there is this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7380691.stm

What do you think?

I think it's a load of over-exaggerated ********, tbh.

Free sex, underage pregnancy and drug/alcohol abuse is rife amongst the UK's under 16s. Doesn't sound like a "cotton wool" generation to me.

 

[Dolph]

I think it's a load of over-exaggerated ********, tbh.

Free sex, underage pregnancy and drug/alcohol abuse is rife amongst the UK's under 16s. Doesn't sound like a "cotton wool" generation to me.

It sounds perfectly right to me, it's a generation that's been overprotected and now doesn't know how to assess risk or understand consequences.

 

[Sankari]

It sounds perfectly right to me, it's a generation that's been overprotected and now doesn't know how to assess risk or understand consequences.

No, it sounds like a generation that's been taught to demand privileges without responsibilities, because they've learned that the law has very limited control over them, and their parents aren't really interested.

Kids aren't mistakenly blundering into alcohol as a result of over-protection, or hanging around on street corners and mugging passers-by at 22:00 because their parents keep them locked up after 19:00.

They're out on the streets, wandering around the place and doing whatever the **** they like because their parents have no idea where they are, and generally don't give a toss.

How many cotton wool kids are responsible for fatal bashings, do you reckon?

 

[GhostlyPea]

It sounds perfectly right to me, it's a generation that's been overprotected and now doesn't know how to assess risk or understand consequences.

Among other things, I think that is a more than fair assesment.

- Pea0n

 

[Sankari]

Prove it.

 

[DampCat]

No, it sounds like a generation that's been taught to demand privileges without responsibilities, because they've learned that the law has very limited control over them, and their parents aren't really interested.

Kids aren't mistakenly blundering into alcohol as a result of over-protection, or hanging around on street corners and mugging passers-by at 22:00 because their parents keep them locked up after 19:00.

They're out on the streets, wandering around the place and doing whatever the **** they like because their parents have no idea where they are, and generally don't give a toss.

How many cotton wool kids are responsible for fatal bashings, do you reckon?

Prove it.

 

[Indy500]

You've seen more battle damage than the entire French army

Haha. Bit out of date now though they we're man enough to get into scuffles with the IDF in Lebanon, and at least twice drove off Israeli tanks and planes as part of a UN force...

 

[GWillow]

Roads too busy so better not let the kids cycle to school.

My wife works at the school that my 2 young kids go to, they would love to cycle to school but the school offers absolutely nowhere to put the bikes during the day. How can we encourage kids to do more exercise when the schools aren't helping?

 

[Dolph]

No, it sounds like a generation that's been taught to demand privileges without responsibilities, because they've learned that the law has very limited control over them, and their parents aren't really interested.

Parents haven't always known where their kids are every second of every day, but Kids by that point knew how to handle freedom.

Kids aren't mistakenly blundering into alcohol as a result of over-protection, or hanging around on street corners and mugging passers-by at 22:00 because their parents keep them locked up after 19:00.

Not now, but how about when they were younger?

They're out on the streets, wandering around the place and doing whatever the **** they like because their parents have no idea where they are, and generally don't give a toss.

How many cotton wool kids are responsible for fatal bashings, do you reckon?

That's also a factor, but the generation of kids shut away, allowed to do nothing exciting because it might be slightly dangerous are far more likely to thrill seek when the leash is loosened slightly than those that have been allowed to experience good and bad things and learn from them.

 

[Teki187]

A lot of key points people have made is right on the money.

Lack of Community

Compensation Culture

With the availability of information these days, more unknown offences are becoming more known, making people scared. The media jump on it, splash it on the front page in every county and run it for weeks.

Introduction of computer gaming and on demand TV.

All makes people think there kids would be better off at home.

Evangelion, to a point what you say it true, but the examples you've made are from the lower end of society with extremes, were the parents don't give a damn. But you can let your kids out and still care what there up to and where they've gone.

Kids have also got more clever as the years have progressed and they know what works and what doesn't, how to exploit x and y, they know police cant do anything to stop them. Is that societies fault for not adjusting to kids or is it parents faults? Or is it Mr Chav down the street makes friends with a girl, who's mates with your daughter and she learns how the street works.