I'm like a mama bear protecting my bear cubs from all sorts of dangers. I'm sure there are those who would call me overprotective but that's their problem. Our world is extremely dangerous when you stop and think about it. Much more so than when I was a child. I remember being ten years old and taking my three younger sisters to the library. It had to be a mile and a half away from home and we crossed some pretty busy streets. But there is no way I would let my ten year old daughter do that. You hear every day of another child being kidnapped.
I don't let them play in the front yard. They have to stay in the back yard because it is fenced in. Our neighbors leave much to be desired so I keep an eye on them constantly.
I have taught my children about "stranger dangers" and how to be safe. I even put a little fear in them. Do you remember the story of Adam Walsh? He was kidnapped from a department store and his body was found later. You might be thinking that is too much to tell a child but I believe you have inform them of the dangers. I don't go to extremes to where my children don't want to be apart from me. I just want them to understand that not all strangers are nice and there are people who hurt little children. I'd rather have them a lot scared then a lot dead.
Sexuality is another danger I try to protect my children from. I try to be very careful of what we watch and what they read. My oldest daughter loves to read. She is going into the fifth grade and reads at a much higher level. I try to make sure that the books are appropriate for a ten year old girl. She has asked to read the famous "Twilight" books. But I told her not until she was older. Plus that is Mommy's fantasy world right now, anyway. Speaking of "Twilight" I don't understand the parents who let their young kids go see the movies. Let them be kids. Take them to kid type movies. It really does irritate me.
Certain toys I do not like either. Bratz dolls.
UGH! I hate the hooker looking dolls with skimpy clothing. My daughter used to want them so bad because I did not want her to have them. I never bought the dolls or accessories but she did receive a couple for gifts for her birthday or Christmas. Yes, I was more than ecstatic about that. But I let her keep them to be polite. However, in the end she ended up not playing with them as much as she thought she would. Their shoes came off leaving a doll with no foot. (That designer was a smart one) Now the dolls have been donated to Goodwill and we no longer have them in our house.
Video games is another big thing. My children love video games just like any other. My nine year old son especially. He is very good at it, too. He likes to play Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I am fine with that. He is not playing games of people killing people just to kill people. Or games that have half naked girls in them. We have a very strict rule of what kinds of games he can play. I am astounded by the games he says his friends at school can play. They are rated "M" for mature audiences. I don't understand how parents simply let their kids do whatever they want. Be the parent for God's sake!!!!
There are times when we have to let them go on their own. My two oldest went away to summer camp for the first time this year. Even though I know the camp well I was still a bit nervous. But I knew it was important for them to have these experiences on their own. Plus, there weren't any video games or t.v.'s.
Our children are only children for such a short amount of time. We should treasure this time and let them enjoy it. Play with them. Nurture their imaginations. Let them have fun. And keep them safe. Too soon they will know all about the adult world and what it means to be an adult.
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