BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz ·
07/09/2022 17:05
The park is massive. Easily 50acres if not more. Sectioned up into fields, wooded areas, a stream, a lake, various play areas and bowling greens etc.
A couple of girls in her class have been allowed since Easter to come along straight from school and stay til 7pm. Dd has asked numerous times (to the point where the asking alone is driving me mad) to be allowed.
The park has various incidents happen over the last year (we live in an area which has some wealth but a lot of deprivation and, within this all, some real pockets of high asb, low level crime etc. The park has not escaped this, and teens gather to drink (and presumably drugs) after 7pm. We recently had a flasher, and the little park keeper office was vandalised over the summer.
It's actually a really lovely park to spend time in during the day, but is basically a local hang out and area where bad behaviour occurs.
Nevertheless, I am not ready to allow unrestricted time at the park for dd. Its too much of an unknown. I'm happy for her to walk to/from school, walk to the library, the pool, friends houses etc. The parameters are safe - simple routes, known location, known people etc. If she came to the park she could go anywhere in it - water, woods, fields etc.
We have a small very open playpark down the street with basketball hoops and swings etc which does not have the risks this one does, is very visible no hiding places. I'd have no issues her going there. Similarly her friends can come to ours.
Yet the niggle is there because the other girls mums and I are friendly, and they all allow their dc to do this. Not that they are 100% happy with it but seem to adopt a "well I've started allowing it now so I have to continue".
Aibu? I go along the park and just sit and read on a bench while she plays (in sight) but I can't always do this as I have to work.