to think that we should all parent a bit more like...

[GoldenAutumn]

this?

Well I'm not saying that 'we' all 'should', but I know I'd like to parent a bit more like that - more free and free-range, more accepting that sometimes experimenting results in survivable pain and injury, less fearful.

I know that's not as easily achievable in deepest darkest Surrey, as opposed to the wilds of South Africa, where this guy is. Still, there are aspects I'd like to extrapolate.

When DD last stayed with my Dparents, she told me she'd been racing around the fields on the farmer's quad bike, rounding up the sheep. On closer questioning, it transpired that she hadn't been wearing a helmet or any kind of safety belt. When I pointed out that this didn't sound very safe, she said 'it was fine mum - I was holding on to the dog.'

I bit my tongue because what a great experience that must have been... despite the obvious safety issues (I did have a word with my DM though...).
Danger vs fun and exploration... it's a tricky one.

I wasn't bitchy just utterly bemused.

And there is some middle ground I feel between letting children climb trees which I do and everyone I know does and letting them ride quad bikes minus helmets which I wouldn't do.

There's free-range and there's reckless.

Well I have an extremely intelligent (A* student, G&T etc) daughter who has....

sliced her finger open on a safety razor (she wanted to see if it was sharp!)

climbed so high into the tree she couldn't get down

set up a series of rope pulleys into said tree and nearly strangled neighbours child when he tried to use them

and (piece de resistance)........

opened the car door whilst travelling at 70mph down the M6!!!!! (aged 8)

I spend most of my time trying to teach risk management.

FWIW my eldest is extremely risk averse, as is her dad (xh). Her dad still uses child locks after that episode (they're now 17 & 15). I suspect the youngest takes after me

Basking you don't sound wanky at all!

I do let DD do things, even when inside I'm fretting about all the things that could go wrong. I was petrified when her dad (my ex) took her on a boating holiday a few years ago. Their first holiday abroad and she could hardly swim (aged 6!). I was conviced something would go terribly wrong but I bit my tongue (to DD, not to DxP ) and let her go. She did get horrendously sunburned but other than that, she survived.

I'll always worry, I know, but I do believe strongly that a risk-free life is a pretty boring one, and that sometimes you just have to hope for the best.