Please reassure me I'm not the only DP in the UK that allows and actively encourages my dc to climb trees

[keepyourchinupdear]

As per the caption... Am I wrong in doing this? I never see dc climbing trees or playing outdoors - am I the only one?

I was an avid tree climber and spent many afternoon in my favourite tree as a child, so no you're not being unreasonable in the slightest. My grandmother had an abundance if trees for such delights and we had in fact a treehouse so climbing trees was entirely necessary!

As for damaging tress my family are members of a certain botanical society and they never berated me for this pass time.

Anecdotally one of my best friends at nursery uses to shimmy up a great big beast of a tree and invariably a member of the local fire department would rescue him. It's a complete cat cliche yes, and elf and safety would disband at the uncontainable sheer horror of this I'm sure. He never came to any harm.

Ah those halcyon days.

I know I can't keep them 100% safe. But where I can I will.

I mean teach your child common sense

Oh just remembered I climbed a tree in Oct, I was getting sloes to make gin. It was great fun.

And in school/afterschool clubs etc they are always in their age groups, so they don't learn give and take; they don't learn respect of older and more sensible kids, and they don't learn to take care of the younger ones.

Yes, this really turned out to be a brilliant thing when my DS's Infant and Junior schools amalgamated.

The older kids were often allowed to help out in the younger kid's classrooms/PE lessons for some of them, it was the first time they'd ever been given any sort of responsibility.

One child in particular who had behavioural issues, seemed like a changed child when organising games for the little ones and teaching them how to play them.

Yet all the older kids in our street taught the younger ones these things, when I was growing up.

My children are excellent tree climbers because they know I am bloody well not going to rescue them if they get stuck

Ds has no common sense, he is a danger to himself. ( asd which I will not go into on this thread)

I don't think you do realise how to keep them safe.They willl be out of your sight at some point and you have a responsibility to teach them to be safe when you aren't around to just tell them no.!!!

We have just moved to NZ. My daughter (10) attends a school with massive grounds and a wood. At playtime the children are actively encouraged to climb trees and make camps in the woods. It's called child initiated risk taking. They love it! So much better than schools where children can't play co jets for H&S reasons!

And Steve Brown - would you like me to keep going?

Excusetypos

That's almost as naught as me hiding in the bougainvillea to smoke cigarettes during my teenage rebellious phase.

Tsk tsk! I thought I'd not be caught, poor tree must have hated me!

Really???? Next we'll hear the non climbing tree children are playing computer games for hours on end and and that's a problem too. Killjoys/first world problem...

Common sense isnt as common as it should be, unfortunately!

My DD is off on a DofE expedition this weekend - she's really looking forward to it, whereas some of the others who don't do 'real' stuff are rather dreading it.

I have a computer full of photos of dd (10) up a huge variety of trees from about the age of 18months. She is known as the mountaineer in our family due to her need for height and adventure

She has led many children astray over the years I'm afraid and is now begging for a treehouse which is higher than adults can reach so it's truly private .

She also plays out, goes into the woods with a friend etc etc. She really lacks confidence in other areas of life, so I see all of it as vital for her mental wellbeing and health

I think restricting your child's imagination & outdoor play & not explaining logical consequences can only be a disadvantage to them & future generations, especially in a first world country such as the UK

Really???? Next we'll hear the non climbing tree children are playing computer games for hours on end and and that's a problem too.

To be fair, the only way my kids can get a decent wifi signal is to climb a tree

We have a tree house that you have to cross a stream to get to - The DC's build it with the help of our au pairs BF who was a joiner. It is fab

Unfortunately my teens no longer use it

FWIW my DC were allowed to climb trees at their junior school - but were told not to climb higher than twice their height!

Worra tis the way forward... If only trees could give off. a WiFi signal, we'd be a happier planet

I can't believe people have summed up my parenting based on 1 aspect of climbing trees.

They have both climbed rock walls, climb a mountain, Ds has climbed to the very top of a climbing frame, learnt to ride a bike, got skates, can swim without arm bands, go on scooter. DS rides a quad. Been to a lot of parks and been fishing and the list goes on.

Only because I don't know what trees are safe I must be damaging them.

naughty not naught!

The poster with the treehouse. Sounds wonderful!

My dcs school told them they couldn't climb trees. Fecking ridiculous. I encourage mine to do so.
Preventing your dc from climbing trees is NOT keeping them safe. It's actually harming them. Kids needs to learn to climb and get down.

So you'll let them clamber in rhodedendron thickets now?
I'm sure people can recommend other good climbing trees.

Am wryly amused at the caricature of no tree climbing equates to IPad junkie. I'll tell that to dd who plays football, cricket, netball, rounders and who has qualified at county level to compete at a national athletics event on Monday (stealth boast)