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Safe Freedom
Giving Your Children Room to Grow By Shel Franco
Another thing you can do to keep your child safe is to keep your eyes open. "We can watch more closely without getting in the way," Crutcher says.
That can be tricky, but it's not impossible. "When Roman was in kindergarten, all he wanted was to ride his bike around the block to his friend's house," Nicola says. "He wanted to show the kids that he could ride without training wheels. I told him I'd walk him up, but he was really against that, so eventually we decided that I would drive up at a safe distance. I stayed behind him all the way, and when he pulled into the driveway, I kept on going home."
Nicola's story isn't unique. We've all heard of parents who followed the bus to school those first few days of kindergarten. The good news is that this philosophy of watching from a distance can be adapted to many different situations. When your child wants to take in a movie with a friend, and you aren't quite ready to let them do so unattended, remember that you can always sit a few rows behind them. And if the kids want to play in so-and-so's big front yard, but you're a little nervous about them being in plain site of any old soul driving by, why not grab a cup of tea and a good book and settle in for quiet observation on your front porch.
Watching the kids isn't simply a one-parent job, either. "We can join with other parents to keep vigilance," Crutcher says.
Don't be afraid to ask your neighbors to keep an eye out for the kids, especially if you have noticed any "funny business." Nicola noticed her boys were sometimes taking a detour and playing on a bunch of landscape rocks in another neighbor's front yard before heading over to their friend's backyard to play.
"I asked the neighbor to call me or to send the kids on their way the minute she saw them messing around," Nicola says. "It only took me walking down once and then her saying something to them once, and they haven't stopped since."