You guys, am I just a paranoid ninny?

All of the situations you describe, you are right.

There does come a time when, perhaps, school-age children (not preschoolers, including five year olds) can handle out-of line-of-sight supervision, depending on the environment in which said freedom is granted. In some areas, going to the park or riding bikes is okay for school age children, as long as they know the dangers. Other environments it might not be safe.

Exposing a preschool child to any physical dangers, such as water, stairs, flying balls, firetower steps, busy streets, etc etc. a child would not recognize or maybe even notice the dangers and adults need to be responsible for them.

Thank you. I’d chalk it up to being old, but I remember being so freaking pissed off when I played competitive coed volley ball, that the women would bring their infants and preschoolers into watch their dads play, and just park them on the bottom bleacher, literally right down on the floor, just a few feet from the actual court. This wasn’t no church league, mind you. The men were monsters, 6’5” and many had played semi pro beach in Hawaii and stuff. When they spiked that ball it was moving 30 mph at least. I have BEEN hit in the face by a spiked ball during practice in HS. I wasn’t looking. It would probably kill a little kid. What the fuck were those women thinking of??? WHAT are the parents thinking?

I was at a New Years Eve party where some woman was wanting to let her toddler PLAY volleyball with the adults. The toddler didn’t want to just sit on the sidelines. The mother argued that her son ‘didn’t understand’ why he couldn’t play. Some people just cannot visualize or imagine the danger. Its more often us men who don’t recognize dangers, or believe they can rescue them, But accidents usually happen when people look away for just a few seconds, or are distracted by something else.

I wonder if you would have recognized the inherent dangers in these situations when you were your son’s age? I can remember my grandmother’s talent for spotting the risks in everything. She was damned good at it, but I thought her a needless worry wart.

Yes. Yes I did @stanleybmanly. As I mentioned above, playing coed volley ball while in my 20’s I recognized the danger.

I never let my kids climb up a big slide all by themselves, and get themselves positioned on the narrow platform 20 feet in t he air all by themselves, at 18 months. My son and his wife did exactly that with Cooper at a park once, when he was that age.

When I taught my kids to swim, at the age of 2, I made a point of letting them get in over their heads, then showed them how to get themselves out of trouble.

Now, I’m all for letting kids take some risks, but not ones that might leave them brain damaged or dead.

When my son was 11 he’d go to visit his gramma, my mom. She lived not far from a creek and she just refused to let him go down to the creek alone because she was afraid “something might happen,” and she didn’t want to be responsible for it. I told her a few times that I took full responsibility and let him go to the creek! But she refused.

And this is the same woman who had me, at the age of 6, taking care of my 3 year old sister as we ran up and down the salt water canals and piers, where we probably would have drowned if we’d fallen in at high tide.

IMO you are being overly protective but perhaps it is just the way you are.

You have a brain in your head, and the other people are clueless.

I borrowed a gate for the top of my stairs when my SIL was coming to visit with her almost 2 year old. She would not put the thing up. I should have, but it was almost like she was fighting me on it. Her kid tumbled down my full flight of stairs with she was 15 feet away in the bedroom while her son was throwing something down the stairs and followed his arm as he threw it forward. Toddlers are too heavy. They fall forward constantly. They have big heads for their bodies and are just learning balance. I saw it from down below just as it was happening. Thank goodness he wasn’t hurt badly.

My SIL did sort of have the attitude that getting hurt teaches lessons, and also that kids should do the right thing and behave as expected. I think that’s a load of crap for a toddler. Her mom, my MIL, used to watch her very young grandchildren, and had a table practically in the middle of the family room with expensive Lladro and other figurines.

Another girlfriend of mine felt no urgency to get her kids out of the pool in FL during lightening.

I could go on with examples, but I know I don’t need to. Some people just understand risk better. Some people have realistic expectations of children. Hell, even with adults “we” can see it when others can’t. I have to turn the handle to the side when I’m in the kitchen while my MIL
Is cooking. I have to move the glass away from the edge of the table sometimes for my husband.

I want you to keep an eye on me while I’m here.

You are a lert.

We need more lerts.

You are a sute fish, @Pinguidchance. We need more stute fishes.

One time, when my grandson was about 4 I had gone to this house to pick him and his Mom up. She was standing in the front yard talking to her friend, and little Ryan was slowly, deliberately making his way the street, glancing back at Mom to see if she noticed. I pretty much raised him the first 5 years and he sure as hell knew not to go in the street! I was parked along the curb and I was just watching him. My eyes started to narrow. Mom did nothing. He didn’t know I was there. I just watched and waited.He kept coming on, deliberately testing her. She did nothing.
Then came that moment. He stepped off the curb directly in front of the van I was driving. The instant his foot touched that asphalt I got on the horn, loud and long and right in his face! It “knocked” him back into the yard.
Mom spun around in a panic, ran toward the car, in a glance took in what had happened and got so pissed at me!
“You didn’t need to scare him like that!”
“The hell I didn’t.”

Should have shut the door.
I’m sure he just figured the kid wouldn’t crawl out the door for no reason.