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Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

economist.com

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Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#101

Post by junkscience2017 »

tauntz wrote: post #90
junkscience2017 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get my kids out of the house. I try. All of their friends are on SnapChat and/or Steam games. No one leaves their rooms. It is really depressing. Kids are not getting fresh air anymore.

How old are your kids if you don't mind me asking? I'm from Easter-Europe so obviously a much different culture - my child's 3.5 and spends ~4 hours outside every day (except when he's sick or it's really raining outside) and I don't think that's enough to be honest - that's still 20h/day from his childhood spent trapped between 4 walls :(

early teens. they should be outside.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#102

Post by Balero »

cplanas wrote: post #84
baxtr wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like a problem of the US. It’s not (yet) like that in Europe. We spend a lot of time outside with kids not matter how bad the weather is.

As a European, I disagree. I spent most of my time playing videogames, and my childhood was during the 90s. Maybe because I was city kid.

I spent a lot of my teenage years playing videogames, but I was very rural, maybe theres a sweet village sized spot for it being safe enough to be outside, whilst also having people to be outside with.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#103

Post by mod »

btilly wrote: post #44
Pulcinella wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You won’t have CPS called on you for letting your children wander and play in the neighbor. Please don’t spread nonsense. Edited with my response to everyone depositing articles about the Meitivs: Nobody “called CPS on” the Meitivs. Somebody called the polic because they saw the children wandering around a parking garage (not a park like in many of the news stories. See [1].) The police officer then called CPS severa…

Yes, you will. http://reason.com/blog/2015/06/11/11-year-old-boy-played-in-... http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/neighbor-calls-cops... https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/22/canadian-mo... Do you have any more "corrections" to make?

That first one (the only one I read) is such a nightmare. Just wow.

I live in the boonies and my kid gets to roam far and wide by himself. There's some risk involved, but it's never crossed my mind that I'm being negligent.

I think it would be more negligent to keep him indoors--not that it could qualify as criminally negligent in any sane universe.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#104

Post by junkscience2017 »

NDizzle wrote: post #76
junkscience2017 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get my kids out of the house. I try. All of their friends are on SnapChat and/or Steam games. No one leaves their rooms. It is really depressing. Kids are not getting fresh air anymore.

Sign them up for sports! Start with signing them up for everything as the season hits. Try everything once. Let them pick which things they continue with. Go to the park to practice said sports as a family. Take breaks to play on the play structures. Repeat as needed.

we do, but I am also sick of every requirement to go outside being a scheduled event. there is no spontaneity to their lives, they only go outside when there is a practice or game for one of their sports.

btw their entire middle school is like this. I hope this is not a sad preview of their adult lives...locked in their homes on screens.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#105

Post by kelukelugames »

IncRnd wrote: post #85
kelukelugames wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm making a joke. :) Thanks for the feedback. I made the list more outrageous so it's more obvious. A lot of male comedians transition to family jokes after having children. This could be the catalyst for my stand up career!

> A lot of male comedians transition to family jokes after having children. "dadmedians" Your kids will love hearing that about their dad, until they are older anyway and start to roll their eyes :)

Haha I mean professional comedians.

Also, I took pictures of baby peeing on himself to show to his future dates. Can't wait!

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#106

Post by mod »

btilly wrote: post #73
dougmccune wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone is pointing out various news articles that show that people do indeed call CPS when you let your kids play by themselves at a playground. I won't dispute that it happens, but to me this is similar to how we view other low-probability events. If I let my kids walk to school or the playground by themselves there's also a chance they can get hit by a car crossing the street. I can teach them safety rules and ar…

Many are sharing personal experiences as well. I have not had CPS called on me. But I do have friends who dealt with that. In fact I know more people whose had CPS called on them than I do people who have been in car accidents. So it doesn't seem to be a super low probability event. What also has me concerned is that my kids are heading towards puberty. Over 1/4 of all registered sex offenders committed their crime w…

A bit off-topic: I've been in 12 car accidents, I think. 2 while I was driving a car, neither my fault. One while I was driving a motorcycle, also not my fault.

Most were before I was old enough to be driving.

5 of the vehicles were totaled, including the motorcycle.

Anyway I find it strange that some people have never been in one. I'm not sure I know anyone who hasn't.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#107

Post by junkscience2017 »

tn_ wrote: post #51
junkscience2017 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get my kids out of the house. I try. All of their friends are on SnapChat and/or Steam games. No one leaves their rooms. It is really depressing. Kids are not getting fresh air anymore.

How old were your kids before they got their smartphones/computers?

in our area, most kids seem to be carrying iPhones by 4th grade. sad, but there it is.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#108

Post by conanbatt »

DoubleCribble wrote: post #58
junkscience2017 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't get my kids out of the house. I try. All of their friends are on SnapChat and/or Steam games. No one leaves their rooms. It is really depressing. Kids are not getting fresh air anymore.

Mystery power outages that seem to hit only our house have been known to occur in my neighborhood on fine weather days. It's like a ghost in the breaker box or something...

Kids today learn faster than we did also. One they he will fix the breaker box for you and its GG dad.

I truly consider that my kid will be able to use the internet against me in ways inimaginable. Its exciting!

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#109

Post by mod »

spitfire wrote: post #100
btilly wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many are sharing personal experiences as well. I have not had CPS called on me. But I do have friends who dealt with that. In fact I know more people whose had CPS called on them than I do people who have been in car accidents. So it doesn't seem to be a super low probability event. What also has me concerned is that my kids are heading towards puberty. Over 1/4 of all registered sex offenders committed their crime w…

What? Please explain how a minor can become a registered sex offender. I'm not American, sometimes America just confuses us foreigners.

You now qualify if you (as a 14 year old) send a nude selfie to someone else. Manufacture & distribution, something like that.

We (rational Americans) are as perplexed as you are how that could possibly qualify.

Re: Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago

#110

Post by mrkurt »

Pulcinella wrote: post #79
metalliqaz wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with the spirit of your argument, but I am pretty sure that this actually has happened. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/13/parent...

Nobody “called CPS on” the Meitivs. Somebody called the polic because they saw the children wandering around a parking garage (not a park like in many of the news stories. See [1].) The police officer then called CPS several times wondering what to do with children before finally driving over to CPS when they were dragging their heels[2]. [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/free-range-family-again... [2] Not tha…

I do think the lose-your-kids-to-CPS fear is a little overblown. But it's a little silly to say "they didn't call CPS, they called the police". The outcome is the same, and people almost always call the police instead of CPS directly.
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