British Family - Children

[CrowAndAlice]

Anyone watching?
She's covering ALOT (Green Cross code to Bulger case to Vicky Pollard) but not really answering any questions.
Interesting stuff though.

Im watching........ V V V interesting!

Thank god for that .

Was childhood so much simpler 40 yr ago?

me too. certainly interesting stuff.

Id go out on my bike for hours and my Mum didnt worry! Different story now!!

Wow The Blue Peter baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being a child was a lot easier 40 (or so) years ago. We had so much freedom and so little pressure. I didn't even know I had taken my 11+ until I was told I'd passed it!

Love the statistic that in the 70s a child was probably cared for by its parents for 25 minutes a day. Just shocking really.

what about the blue peter baby? I missed it as i was cleaning puppy shit out of our wooden floor slats with a cotton bud .

Kirsty made the point that Val left John and Peter to it!!!Peter lives half a mile away down the road from me now! I often see him in our local shop!!

I think the point about adult fears being imposed on children was interesting. 11 children a year were murdered by strangers in 1970s, same as today - stranger danger is adult paranoia.

I thought that too!!

It goes to show as well that despite all the limits we put on children's freedom, we haven't actually made them safer from strangers.

I thought it was totally fascinating. I agreed with a lot of the points raised too. I do think we place too much emphasis on our children these days... just it is so hard to go against the grain, as when you try to give your children freedom the peer pressure from other mums can be immense. I recently let my eldest DD (aged 6) walk round the shops to post a letter. I watched her cross the road, so no main roads to cross and it is a very safe estate on the edge of town with only one road in and out of the estate. My DD was so proud of herself for doing it, but you'd think I'd committed some form of child neglect some of the comments that other people have said!
It is a hard one.

i am just watching the prog on iplayer; think it's been a great series. i agree with lots of the comments above. i am 31, but remember walking to school with a little boy from my class, when i was 6. it was not a long way, maybe a 5 min walk, but i did it every day and my brother and i, when we were still primary school age, used to go out on our bikes for the whole morning or afternoon. things have really changed!

But the problem with too much information. DO you want your child to be one of the 11?
NO. Morden children will just have to cope with our paranoia. If my Ds complains I'll make him sweep the chimmey

Watched this, but felt she was covering too much and skirted round all the issues. When it ended, it felt like I'd eaten a big meal but my appetite had not been satisfied....