the sad thing is that by "protecting" their children in my opinion they are making their children miss out on something that is sadly lacking in this day and age, a sense of community and being a friendly member of society.
The one thing I hate about this street i've recently moved to is that no-one ever talks to each other.
Little old lady a few houses down did see me on the street a few weeks ago and introduce herself, but everyone else is very insular and I find it very .
I remember growing up, admittedly in a smallish, steel mine viillage, where we would, as children, walk down the street and people (adults) would say hello, smile, have a conversation. Of course we were aware of "stranger danger" and all of that, but we knew that it was OK to talk to people as long as we follow the simple rules on strangers.
There's an elderly(ish) well probably 60's(?) man who walks his dog every morning along the way we walk to school. He always smiles and says hello, and I encourage my children to smile and say hello back. But the amount of parents I see walking along that bit where he always is walking his little dog that rush past him without even acknoowledging him presence is sad.
I think it creates fear and paranoia which, while we/our children should be alert to the dangers, means that they miss out on a wonderful part of life.