Do you keep yours in cotton wool?

I am such a pessimist that I could never cause a child to be brought into the world, and not because of the risk of pederasts. I don't suppose that abuse has altered nearly so much as the reporting of it, but because the general future, for the first time in mankind's existence, looks impossibly bleak.

The biggest problem is that there already far too many humans in the world, without me contributing to the biggest almoist undiscussed problem there is for all life on the plannet.

[Optimistic as ever, Smiley] Fredrik

PS: I was literally a free range child from an age too young to go to school! A lovely childhood, at least to the age of nine, living in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside - the nearest house being more than half a mile away. Never bored, often in scrapes, and totally unsupervised except at the meal table. Those were the best of times...

Guilty.
Maybe I need to go to worry management courses.

Dear Rasher,

My comment is based on my own inherent and radical pessimisum. Others may feel differently, and be right, but nothing will shift my view as it applies to myself.

[Smiley] Fredrik

No cotton wool - my 3 year old was rock climbing this weekend and he loved it.

Let them get dirty, make mistakes, hurt themselves - it is all part of growing up.

I'm with Fredrik on this one; enough other people are having kids to not make me even slightly interested (disability inheritance aside).

IF I ever got someone pregnant though, I'd like to think I'd let the kid go free-range - it's all part of growing up. My adoptive parents were far too overprotective of me when little and it did my head in (though they meant well).

I'd imagine there's no more paedo-scum out there now then there was, say, in the 40s.

As I have two under tens I would like to say that moving to Herefordshire was the best thing we ever did.

They can walk to school, with or without a parent, play with chums on the local green and breathe fresh-air.

I do worry about them, but only if an undue amount of pain is about to be experienced, and not company that they keep. Mind you neither of them has a computer in thier bedroom and this will continue until they can understand the dangers therein.

I think Dom is probably right in terms of numbers, but the ease of which these people can use the internet to groom and stalk is the problem.

Jono

When my teacher wife takes her charges on a school trip (as today to Bodiam Castle)or swimming etc. One of the fathers won't let his "little darling" on the "dangerous" bus. So he follows the bus, at the end of the trip he tells my misses all the errors the bus driver has made. Failing to indicate ,too close to another vehicle etc.
What really amazed me was when Sally(mrs) said the father came off a 12 hour night shift. Obviously got his kids best interest at heart or only wants himself to kill/injure them.