Does this type of childhood still exist

[Shushimwatchingemmerdale]

Sort of inspired by another thread.

I live abroad with toddler Dd, 3. We have a great lifestyle by the beach etc, but, it isn’t a British childhood, the way I remember it.
Growing up on a cul de sac, friends on tbe street or if not, very nearby. Walking to school and summers spent reading and playing on the street or going on bike rides.
Here it’s a drive to school, a drive to friends houses, play dates etc are organised around the cinema or shopping trips, all great, but just not the same.
Is this how childhood still is in the U.K.? Or am I not missing anything?

Most people I know let their kids go to the park by themselves or with friends in about year six...so they only experience this type of freedom for a year or so before they're teens.. it's sad

It depends on so many factors. I live in London and not many children have that kind of life. For a start, you need a very safe area. I live in a “nice” area, but no one would want their child just playing in the street and I don’t think local parks area great for small unaccompanied children. Also, this only works where children live very close together and don’t have childcare after school.

It still exists in places. A friend moved to Colchester (they were having their second DC and couldn't even rent an adequate house in London).

They moved to a housing estate which is full of young families, most local, all with 2 or 3 DC. The husbands work, the wives mainly don't. The houses open onto greens and the DC play out and knock on each other's doors just like I did growing up. They all go to the same schools and tend to walk together.

I don't want to move to Colchester but I can definitely see the benefits.

During my childhood we didn't have mobiles or proper internet. You cycled to a friends house to see if they were in, or you rang them. Sometimes you went from house to house til you found where people were playing.

The exercise was great. And people were fine with the door knocking, for the most part.

Now that we can text friends to ask what they're doing, and many parents are horrified of the dangers we weren't really aware of in our own childhoods (plus new crimes based on newer tech), kids aren't sent out to play all day as standard. And many would rather be home on consoles or watching TV.

I read the other day that the average age of being allowed out on their own has raised by a few years and that kids are starting secondary school without skills and am awareness they would have got if they'd been less sheltered.

For me, my kids have additional needs and my eldest wasn't road safe as early as other kids, my youngest has no concept of time or propriety and will approach and trust anyone we've had incidents where we've been unable to find her after she's gone out (we are now trying her again, it takes met a long time to actually understand what she must and must not do).

I was so physically fit as a kid. My kids are not. It's something I've worried about greatly, specially with my eldests weight.

I'm grateful there's less kids playing on the railway tracks. But I do wish we could send them all out without us, more.

We live in a lovely suburb. And despite working full time we walk to school and back every day. Kids are in and out of neighbours gardens playing and play on the green down our street with school friends. Play out on bikes and scooters-albeit more so the older one at 10. Walk to the shops, post office or chemist, pub and local restaurants but get the car out for sports clubs, gym and big supermarkets.

But i might not be as comfortable with that in some areas. And we have a lovely community where everyone knows each others kids and would scoop them up if they were hurt etc.

Our 4yo does up to a point. She's friends with the slightly older girl next door, and they'll happily spend an afternoon running in and out of each other's gardens inventing impenetrably complex games inspired by Frozen. There can be friction when they want to take their bikes and go further afield - I don't think it's fair on the older one to be placed in charge - but there's a green surrounded by bungalows next to our house and we're happy for them to play on that (can't see them from the house, but can hear them).

It's not exactly like my childhood memories (although those are from older than four, in fairness), but it's similar. Maybe we're lucky to have another family next door and a street where people say hello and at least recognise each other, as well as relatively few cars except at school in-and-out times.

What does feel different is the amount of organised activity we have. I'm sure DD has more days out than I did as a child, and she certainly has more groups and clubs - cooking, ballet, drama, football. But, for the moment, she seems to enjoy it, so why not?

I live in London and my children live walking distance to school as do all their friends. We walk to the parks, swimming, the library. They meet all their friends. There's no driving here.

The only difference to the childhood you describe is that they don't play out alone. my dd (who is 9) will now go to the play ground in our street, but they don't play in the street and she doesn't go off on her bike like I did when I was her age.

And actually my children were friends with the children in the street and they were all in and out of each others houses and gardens all the time. I regularly had a large group of children sitting on my trampoline.

(The children are all older now, leaving my dd as the only young child)>

My dc play out with friends on the street and they walk themselves to and from school. They don't go as far as I used to go though. I rarely organise anything for them.

My 6 year old plays out. Her school you can see from our doorstep and our road is a dead end so only gets residents driving very slowly onto it. Most of her class live in the street and there is often an army of 6 year olds playing out with bubbles, hoops, scooters etc. It’s lovely.

We’re the only people under 60 in our street. The houses are too expensive for other couples of child bearing age, we wouldn’t be here ourselves except a relative died and left us the house. We only know of one other child living on the estate a few streets away. Our DC won’t be playing out because there’s nobody to play with. It will have to be organised play dates, which worries me because I’m crap at making friends and organising things.

Ds coming up 11 and going into year 6. Friends live nearby, walks to school, I let him walk to Friends occasionally under supervision

The kids round here play out, unsupervised or semi supervised depending on their age. There's a woodland-y bit behind a cul de sac and a big bit of grass around the flats. They also walk to school in little groups. Very much like when I was growing up, but depends completely on the area.

My DS is nearly 4, he has some friends that "knock on for him" they are a little older but they play in our cul de sac for hours- granted i supervise at all times, but he loves it.

We walked to pre school and will be walking to and from big school.

Its a lovely life.

We live in an area where kids walk to school from year 6 middle school . We have a green outside our house and the kids literally play out there any chance they get . Loads of them since about 4 ! I used to keep any due now I don’t they know what they are allowed to do . Know loads of mums etc

They are very lucky with the freedom

I’m very lucky with the peace 🤣

Keep an eye out not due !!

Doesn’t happen in my part of London, no kids play on the street here including mine but we live on a main road

My daughter is too young for that (she’s 3), but I’m encouraged by our neighbourhood older kids (maybe 8+) who do seem to be out and about in packs, on bikes, in the park and buying sweets in the local shop.

I’m in a London suburb. Most of the kids on our street play outside unsupervised. Quiet road with fields behind and next to us. My lot jump over our fence to play footie with their friends. They go on bike rides and walk to school on their own too. We regularly have kids knocking on our door to play. Organised play dates are more for little ones around here.

I’m in my mid 20s and had a childhood similar to what you described. I played out (away from mine or my friends’ houses) from around the age of 7. Sadly, I think DC have less freedom nowadays.

Round here it exists, but only for a year or two. Kids aren't generally trusted to 'play out' unsupervised until 8/9 and by 10/11 their off to secondary and consider themselves much to grow up for playing. The combination of more traffic and higher safety awareness means for yunger kids tend to have playdates at friends houses / gardens, so it's limited to when parents organise it, not the spontaneous knocking and asking if x can come out.

My DNephew is 12; he’s allowed out on his bike to go to the park or a bike ride with a friend, but he must say where he’s going, who with and be back by a set time. Only recently started being allowed to do this.

Children play out less today for hours unsupervised because of a fear (reasonable) of predatory men and very high car useage on roads (very reasonable). In my view it’s no bad thing if children aren’t out alone for 4+ hours a day anymore- negligent on behalf of the parent, risky and too much likelihood of pestering the neighbours.

As to things like books, bike rides and beaches- yes, millions of children of course still do all these things.

My children are , 6 and 2. We live in a small village and walk to school. Their childhood is very much as you describe.

@endofjune

I think that children are not encouraged to play unsupervised and I don’t see that as a bad thing, I’m afraid.

What exactly are you afraid of?

In Switzerland, children play together unsupervised all the time, and I think it's a brilliant thing that they do. They learn to be independent. Here, they still climb trees, walk to primary school with their friends, and they stay out playing together in the street until it's dark.