Barefoot Children

[holidaysarenice]

This has been nagging all week - really want to know if im waaaaay off the mark or not! So bear with my first post please!

Was in our local park in Glasgow in the hot weather, gorgeous park by day but not got a fab reputation at night.

A local school had their kids all there, running about, playing olympic games, having fun. Fair enough, i could see two teachers and an athletics guy teaching, three teachers on the grass chatting. But that's not my point - just setting a scene.

All the kids were barefoot!! Socks and shoes in a pile by the teachers. Couple of the teachers barefoot too.
I was outraged, kids running on paths, to games set up in different bits of the park, and across fairly long grass. How dangerous is that?

AIBU to think that its not a good idea to let about 40 kids run about in a dodgy-ish park in their barefeet?
If you were the parent would you be mad that this had happened and think that health and safety would go nuts, re the risk of standing on glass/needles/dog poo?

YANBU, because I hate going barefoot! The main reason I hate swimming is because of having to walk barefoot on wet tiles. Even stepping out of the shower on to tiles or vinyl makes me shudder. The only surface I don't mind walking on barefoot is carpet, but I far prefer to be in socks or slippers.

That said, the teachers should have carried out a thorough risk assessment of the area prior to allowing the kids to go barefoot.

:). Yes, that does sound more like a no go zone !!
I guess the reality is that all the yuck in my local parks, broke bottles, condoms, dog shat, needles etc.. Is there, just not all in the same foot square, so its possible to have a really great time,
Just have to be vigilant, and certainly keep shoes on !

DD goes barefoot in our garden and in our friends and families' various gardens. I would be happy for her to go barefoot at nursery (have huge sports grounds as linked to a school)

She does not go barefoot anywhere else as I would be worried about her treading on needles, dog shit or broken glass. Neither of which are easily visible to the naked "casually checking the grass" eye.

Like vvviola I live in NZ - the kids here all go barefoot most of the time, even in winter! Walking along the pavement after school, doing PE when at primary school etc..I was at first but now I'm used to it..

"if the park has beer bottles, needles, condoms all over the grass, I won't be having my child playing in it. Barefoot or not"

Yes!