Parents who are just too protective.

[SleepToad]

Following on from the unpaid nanny thread where the step mum left an 11 year old for 10 minutes and then later cooked a meal with her. I walked past the local comprehensive school today. It's half term and the artificial sports pitch is being used for all day long coaching sessions. kids about 10 years old. There were 2 parents sat in their cars watching the training...they were spending their day overseeing the coaching of their kids in a group situation of about 30 kids and 4 coaches. If they don't believe their kids to be safe why send them?

It is also very noticeable how much less traffic there is on the road...kids not being driven to the comprehensive.

Am I being unreasonable to worry that we will have a generation of adults unable to do anything alone, unable to evaluate risk, even to cross the road because their parents are not allowing them the chance to indulge in some independent life of their own?

As someone whose parents never attended any of my extra curriculars, I think you’re looking at this from a very judgemental and not child-centred place.

W sit and watch because it's too far to go home and then turn straight round and come back for them, we have a good natter and we do actually take an interest in what they are doing

When my children were at school the only reasons I used to stay for any of their extra curricular activities were if:

a) My children asked me to watch them.

b) If it made no sense to return home only to turnaround and go back. In which case I would either sit in my car and read or do some work on my laptop or I'd take a camping chair and find a nice place to sit and get out my book and read.

and finally

c) I simply wanted to watch, having previously asked my children if they would mind. Funnily enough, they loved it when me and their other mum would ask if we could watch, particularly their other Mum as her work kept her away from home a fair bit.

Not once was it ever about being over protective.

Over protected offline under protected online

OP hasn't returned so I'm guessing they realise they've been called out on their made up, BS thread!