# Do you (or would you) let your kids play in the woods?



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

We have woods by us, and my 9-year-old dd and other neighbor kids run around and play in the woods frequently, with no adults present. I was on the phone with my brother the other day, and mentioned that dd was out playing in the woods, and he was surprised I'd let her run around in the woods, and said he wouldn't let his kids run in the woods though he does have woods near him too. He and I both ran around in the woods in the 70s/early 80s when we were kids. He said times were different then, but I really don't agree. Playing in the woods is one of my favorite childhood memories, and I want my kids to have similar fun.

SO do you let your kids, or would you if woods were available? I'm trying to think of risks - poison ivy, falling out of a tree. I had those things happen to me when growing up and they don't seem like that big of a deal. What other risks are there?


----------



## hjdmom24 (Mar 1, 2008)

Depending on how deep the woods are my biggest concern would be the kids getting lost. We had a small woods at the end of out street at our old house and my kids would play for hours in there..that is still two years later their biggest complaint about where we live now..no woods to play in. So I think it is fine as long as there are at least 2 kids at a time that way one can get help in the unlikely event it is necessary.


----------



## marinak1977 (Feb 24, 2009)

yes I would, once the kids are old enough (and not playing alone). A 9 year old certainly seems old enough to me.


----------



## crunchy_mommy (Mar 29, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *hjdmom24*
> 
> Depending on how deep the woods are my biggest concern would be the kids getting lost.


This. If the woods is a smaller area & easy to navigate, I wouldn't hesitate (though DS is only 2 and we have to drive a few minutes to get to wooded areas so I don't actively let him play alone out there...)

If it was a huge forest I wouldn't unless I could trust kiddo to stay in a certain area and not go wandering in too deep & get lost...


----------



## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

Absolutely. That's one of the things I hate about living in the city, you have to drive to a park to find woods. I grew up in the south and pretty much all we did was run wild in the woods. We didn't have a large wooded area until I was 12, so I don't know how I'd feel about a younger kid playing in a larger area. Having a wooded area nearby is a must for when we buy a house. It sounds silly, but I think it's important to have your mom kick you out of the house sometimes and tell you not to come back until you're hungry or it's dark, so you have no choice but to use your imagination to play in nature.


----------



## GardenStream (Aug 21, 2007)

It depends on the woods.

There are about 20 acres of woods behind our house. The guy that owns them frequently hunts in them and I know he has coyote traps set up in them. I've never met the neighbor guy but I hear shots from his property every day. Another neighbor's dog got loose, wandered into the woods and got stuck in one of the coyote traps. She got out but lost a paw in the process. Our property does extend into the woods but the line is hard to find. I would not be comfortable letting my boys go there until they were at least in their teens.

My other concerns would be the local wildlife (bears, wolves, coyotes, etc.) and how easy it is to get lost.

My mom lives in a gated community and her property is surrounded by woods. I let my soon to be 5 year old play in those with no problem. He couldn't get lost in there and they don't allow any hunting within the community.


----------



## beenmum (Nov 29, 2010)

I got grazed by some type of bullet when I was wondering in the woods with my friends. Took a chunck outta my puffy jacket sleeve. Thank God thats all it did.

We also saw things we really shoudlnt have seen. So, I dont ever let my kids play in the woods around here. However my in-laws have a huge lot and if my 23 year old BIL goes on a nature walk with them, I let them go for hours at a time.

But never on their own.


----------



## konayossie (Jul 29, 2010)

I grew up in the country and we had about 1.5 acres of woods which we played in all the time. My mom was pretty free range, so we were playing out there unsupervised as soon as we could get that far (3-4 yrs). I would totally let my ds play there when he's a couple years older. Now woods that are in town? I don't know about....I feel fine letting kids play unsupervised in the country, but I'm much more paranoid about being without an adult in public property in town. I'd worry about what other people might be doing in the woods.


----------



## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

My mom has a farm and I let my kids play in the woods there. I don't think anything has changed about the woods-- the dangers are pretty consistent (injury, wild animal attacks, etc). I think the risks are outweighed by the benefits.


----------



## DariusMom (May 29, 2005)

Yep. We're pretty free range and I'm a big believer in the fun to be had in the woods. Of course, you have to know your kids *and* the woods . . .. if there's hunting there, traps, dangerous ponds/rivers and the kids don't swim well, etc. then obviously caution is needed.


----------



## grumpybear (Oct 5, 2006)

not alone, no. We have bears around.


----------



## frugalmum (Nov 5, 2009)

I spent my childhood playing in the woods, walked for miles alone at the age of 7! However years later, when I was an adult, a convicted sex offender was found hiding out in those same woods within view of our house. Sends a chill up my spine! But I think the greatest risk comes from hunting accidents.

If we lived near the woods i probably would let my kids play in it if they had cell phones with them but I definitely wouldn't let them go miles like I did as a kid.


----------



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

This is not a large woods area. It's an undeveloped area with neighborhoods all around. And there is no hunting in this area due to being next to neighborhoods, and there is a game area not far from us, so I'm not worried about hunters here. No bears or anything like that. I'm not worried that sex offenders are hiding out in the woods waiting for kids to play there. My brother's area is similar although he's in the greater Chicago area and I'm in southern Illinois.


----------



## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

I allow my 8.5 year old and almost 6 year old to play in the woods near our house. We live in a rural area and are houses on all sides of us except the back yard. We do have a rule that they need to be within sight of the house which is not too hard as the woods are not super dense. My only real fear is getting lost but we've talked to them about what to do if that should happen. Wildlife can be a concern but really a bear or fox or whatever is just as likely to go through our backyard as the woods where they play. They are usually very loud while playing and we have a dog which helps deter any animals.


----------



## purslaine (Feb 20, 2006)

A 9 year old? Yes, I would, within reason. (not hunting season, they know the area, are not prone to walking off too far on their own...).


----------



## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Around here? Definitely. We don't have any hunting, and the woods are small. I think the presence of the woods out back is one of the major benefits of living where we live (there are significant drawbacks, too). DD1 is almost at the point where I'll let her - she just turned eight this week. I'd probably be letting her already, except that it will cause a lot of issues/stress with ds2, who won't be allowed to for a while yet (he's not quite six). I have wonderful memories of playing in the woods out back of my elementary school (ds1 went there about 20 years later, and it's not allowed, anymore), and I think it's really, really great for kids.


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamazee*
> 
> This is not a large woods area. It's an undeveloped area with neighborhoods all around. And there is no hunting in this area due to being next to neighborhoods, and there is a game area not far from us, so I'm not worried about hunters here. No bears or anything like that. I'm not worried that sex offenders are hiding out in the woods waiting for kids to play there. My brother's area is similar although he's in the greater Chicago area and I'm in southern Illinois.


I would under both circumstances. If there were bears, mountain lions or neighbors shooting off guns, I'd be more cautious.

I'm not worried about random strangers abducting my kids. The instances of that are so rare, I might as well worry about them getting hit by lightening. That doesn't mean I'm not worried about sex abuse. It's just that the statistics favor someone they know (youth leaders, coaches, neighbors, family). I'm actually much more cautious about whose house my kids go to and how long they're there than I am about my kids when they're out of doors. When they're out of doors, they tend to be with other kids. Inside, who knows?


----------



## amma_mama (May 20, 2008)

I can't wait until DD is a couple of years older so that she can play in the woods near our house. We had no woods where I grew up and always dreamed of what fun it would be. We now live in the 'burbs with woods that connect the neighborhoods, so one is never too far from help. Also, no dangerous animals, just deer, foxes, beavers and the like. I also have never seen any unseemly activities (drugs, sex). So a perfect place to wander, though being able to identify poison oak will be a test to pass, hopefully not the hard way...


----------



## Doodlebugsmom (Aug 1, 2002)

Yes. My kids (7 and 9) play in the wooded area in our neighborhood all the time. Not a huge wooded area, but about 6 acres with a shallow stream running through. There are times when they go a few hours without checking in. There are usually at least 4 kids playing, so it's not like they're out there alone. Dd has gotten poison ivy a few times, but that was just from walking through the wooded part of our yard. When I was kid, I lived in a VERY rural area. The woods was where we played. By age 9 we were hiking for several miles without an adult.


----------



## mamatoablessing (Oct 17, 2005)

No. We have acres of conservation behind our home which is part woods, part swamp. Living in Florida we worry about bears and gators but my concern is mostly with the snakes. We regularly see water moccasins, rattlers, cottonmouths, copperheads and coral snakes all over our neighborhood. They're huge pain the ass, actually. In the summer, we basically have to walk a grid in the yards to check for snakes before the kids play. Woods are definitely off limits.

That being said, I would certainly let them play in the woods like you are describing. I wish our woods were safer for the kids. I loved playing in the woods when I was young. We'd spend hours just walking or riding or bikes through them. I was maybe 8 or 9? Great memories.


----------



## mommy212 (Mar 2, 2010)

I would take into account the child's maturity, but unless they are unusually immature for a nine year old i would absolutely let them. I think it is one of the most important things a child can do! Creativity, problem-solving, caring for the planet, are all right there in the woods... My mom and her brothers were kicked outside all day to play in the wood from the age of 5 on up, haha... When the older ones were big enough she would send the little ones out with them, and while I don't recommend this necessarily it really taught them responsibility... Sorry getting off track here but my answer is definitely yes. Kids have been playing outside for as long as there have been kids and nothing happens today that didn't happen back then.


----------



## cyclamen (Jul 10, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamatoablessing*
> 
> No. We have acres of conservation behind our home which is part woods, part swamp. Living in Florida we worry about bears and gators but my concern is mostly with the snakes. We regularly see water moccasins, rattlers, cottonmouths, copperheads and coral snakes all over our neighborhood. They're huge pain the ass, actually. In the summer, we basically have to walk a grid in the yards to check for snakes before the kids play. Woods are definitely off limits.
> 
> That being said, I would certainly let them play in the woods like you are describing. I wish our woods were safer for the kids. I loved playing in the woods when I was young. We'd spend hours just walking or riding or bikes through them. I was maybe 8 or 9? Great memories.


Oh gosh, you just reminded me of when I was about 8 or 9 (and my brother was 6 or 7?) we moved to Florida. My dad grew up in the bayou & was a Vietnam vet (read: loves his guns, knew his jungle), so he took us out into the woods and taught us how to walk slowly, notice our surroundings, taught us what to do if we encountered a gator, what to do if we saw a poisonous snake - we had to wear thick shoes and they prefered us to wear long jeans too. Looking back, I'm really kind of surprised that they were able to let us basically run wild but everyone did. And I guess both of my parents, as near as I can tell, grew up with even less supervision than we did. Around our house was all swamps and woods, cypress forest (pretty much unhikeable the water was too deep), etc, and although I do not think the snake problem was quite as bad as what you describe. I remember seeing a lot of coral snakes, and maybe a rattler once. We saw a lot of mean old snapping turtles and pancake turtles, and my dad still swears there is a gator living in our back pond (he recently claimed that it ate a dog he shot and was going to bury) but I was never sure if he was pulling my leg or not. We were really careful, though, always beating the bushes, poking sticks in the grass, etc. I read voraciously on "survival, evasion, and escape" and reptile identification.

I honestly do not know if I could let my daughter do the same, even though some of the best memories I have are of tramping through the woods, trespassing, and nearly being shot at by the farmer who was out killing snakes.... .lol.


----------



## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

Would totally depends on the woods - what exactly are we talking about - and the individual kids(s), of course. It's hard for me to picture, since we live in the desert. LOL


----------



## Just1More (Jun 19, 2008)

Oh yes! We do!


----------



## AllisonR (May 5, 2006)

yes, yes, yes! Best memories of my childhood were walking arounf the woods, stepping on top of my big brothers cave-fort, walking "trails", hoping streams, pretend gardening and hunting.... I would sing in the woods, stop and listen to the silence broken by the various natural sounds of nature. I learned how to get myself out of minor scrapes and troubles. I could sing in peace (I have an awful voice). My imagination grew as wide as the woods. There was a big pond behind our home, I doubt many parents would let there kids run free there today, but I would. Kids have to have common sense, adn respect for nature (and especially respect for its power - like not swiming in an open pond alone). Once they have that, yes, let them roam free.


----------



## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

If we had any handy I would. The 9 yo does have a great neighborhood to run free in, but just little patches of woods within walking distance. My Dad used to take me out into the woods behind our house and get me 'lost' on purpose so I could find my way home when I couldn't have been much older than 5.


----------



## MinneapolisMom (Feb 16, 2011)

Just a thought on the OP's comment that it's a different time from the 70's-80's.

It's actually not on a whole less safe than 30 years ago.

Check out this link: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2404/is-the-world-more-dangerous-now-than-when-we-were-kids

For most neighborhoods in the US, "The rate of violent crime (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) is about the same today as in the mid-70s--about 500 crimes per 100,000 population. (I rely here on the FBI's uniform crime reports.) "


----------



## HollyBearsMom (May 13, 2002)

We have a massively huge (over 4000 acres) state park behind our house. There are bike trails, authorized hunting, lots of ponds, some big enough to really boat/fish in, vernal pools. There a black bear, foxes, coyotes, deer, snappers, and the like. There are over 12 miles of hike/bike trails, people mountain bike, snow show cross country ski. There is only one main ranger station and they only patrol the main road that goes thru the park so you are pretty isolated once you hit the trails.

There is no way my son WOULDN'T be playing in those woods. We have been going there since he was small. He knows his way around, know basic safety etc. Could he get lost? Attacked by a bear? Run into a rabid raccoon or an unsavory human? Of course. But he could also get hit by lightening in his own backyard, run over by a drunk driver while crossing the street, be molested by some random uncle of a friend. You take precautions.

The woods are like anything else. Expect the best, prepare for the worst. Do I send him out in camo during deer season? Of course not. Heck I walked a mile thru the woods to get to my bus stop as kid (starting in K) and I had the best time after school pretending to be red riding hood, Goldilocks, Laura Ingalls. Why would I deny my son the joy, wonder, beauty and creativity of doing the same?


----------



## Mom2M (Sep 23, 2006)

My favorite memories as a child were roaming in the woods with my cousins and siblings. We rode bikes for miles and lived in a rural area with woods all around. There were a few issues like when my sister got in a bear trap and my cousin got a shock from an electric fence but we definitely learned a lesson from those! The one thing I look back at and think should have been done is teaching us about poisonous plants, etc...We ate everything in the woods, made teas from different flowers and cooked stuff. I think we were very lucky to not have been poisoned because we really had no clue.
Also, during the time that Mama bears have their cubs out, you really need to be careful and even though a lot of our area was residential enough to prohibit hunting, there were hunters and we had a few issues with that and had to wear very bright colors during hunting season. I really wish we lived in an area like that now because I regret my kids not having that same opportunity. They had free run of the neighborhood but it's not the same as the woods.


----------



## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

we live in a small city with a trail that runs through the woods throughout our city. We would not let our son play there unattended at age 9. There are lots of homeless camps that have settled along the river, and we have definitely seen remnants of things that we wouldn't want our son to encounter without us (condoms, used syringes, etc).

10 years ago, I used to run on the trails by myself in the middle of the day during the summer. I wouldn't go down there by myself anymore.


----------



## velochic (May 13, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mamazee*
> 
> This is not a large woods area. It's an undeveloped area with neighborhoods all around. And there is no hunting in this area due to being next to neighborhoods, and there is a game area not far from us, so I'm not worried about hunters here. No bears or anything like that. I'm not worried that sex offenders are hiding out in the woods waiting for kids to play there. My brother's area is similar although he's in the greater Chicago area and I'm in southern Illinois.


In this situation above, I would. Where I grew up, no. Hundreds of acres to easily get lost in. Lots of hunters, strip pits, animal trapping. No wild animals to really be afraid of, but there were MANY accidents and even some deaths of kids in these areas, including getting lost, drowning and dying of exposure. That would really be my #1 concern. ETA: I just looked it up and the forest by where I lived is actually 9,000 acres. Yeah, uh no way would I let dd wander around in it by herself. I wouldn't wander around in it by myself. Also, private land is much different than public land, so that makes a difference, too. What I'm talking about is a public state forest.


----------



## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

No. We frequently get snakes in our backyard, which backs up to more backyards and is always mowed. I can't even imagine how many snakes are in the wooded areas across the street.


----------



## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Storm Bride*
> 
> DD1 is almost at the point where I'll let her - she just turned eight this week. I'd probably be letting her already, except that it will cause a lot of issues/stress with ds2, who won't be allowed to for a while yet (he's not quite six).


Having been your dd in this situation, I think holding her back because a younger sibling won't like it is totally unfair to both of them. Your dd should be allowed do age appropriate stuff, and your ds should not be allowed to set the rules, which he is doing, by controlling what his sister does. It's going to do their relationship no good either.


----------



## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irishmommy*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


My gut reaction was snarky as hell, but I've dialed it down.

I've also been my dd in this situation - almost exactly. The age gap between me and my younger sister is only a few months less than the gap between dd1 and ds2. And, I actually never cared at all, and didn't even realize until about a decade later that my permission to do things had been somewhat delayed by the fact that I had a younger sister. DD1's friends in our complex are mostly a year younger than her, and none of them are allowed to go in the woods yet, either, so it's not really an issue on a day-to-day level, anyway.

I have to consider a lot of factors, including logistics, and including the fact that ds2 still has a great deal of difficulty connecting the dots about a lot of things, is able to unlock and open our front door, and very likely to just plain follow her into the woods. Right now, it's a strict "you don't go back there without an adult' zone for both of them. Once that changes, I have a whole different situation to deal with, and no matter how bad it may or may not be for their relationship, it's not going to be any worse than finding him face down in the river.


----------



## FarmerBeth (Mar 9, 2011)

All three of my school age kids (11, 9 and 7) play in the woods. I also spend time in the woods with them. They have rules about how far they go, if they go on a walk they have to tell me which path they are taking, and they all know to make noise to avoid predators and what to do if they do see a bear or coyote (very rural NS). They get so much out of having free time outdoors. It just matters that they have a little woodland awareness.


----------



## marianne723 (May 18, 2011)

I hope you never regret it. Kids are being abducted everywhere...even out of their own yards. Most of them found dead. I would never let my kids play in the woods these days. It is just too dangerous.


----------



## Jaxinator (Dec 28, 2009)

Things really aren't any more dangerous now than when I grew up.

But anyway, I played in the woods growing up and I LOOOOVED it. It was so pretty back there. My parents have about 3 acres, which isn't a huge amount, but it's decent enough for a kid. Their property is edged by low stone walls, so it's pretty impossible to get lost there, as long as I stayed within our own land. I also used to go to the lake with my friends, and sometimes take my little sister, which looking back was a BAD idea.

Even as a 16 year old I would go into the woods with friends and go hiking or rock climbing or what have you.

If we had some decent woods around here I would let my son in a few years. He's only 5 right now, a very very cautious 5.


----------



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marianne723*
> 
> I hope you never regret it. Kids are being abducted everywhere...even out of their own yards. Most of them found dead. I would never let my kids play in the woods these days. It is just too dangerous.


But if you're even worried about your kids getting abducted in your yard, where do your kids play? Very few kids are actually abducted. It's a rare thing. It isn't something I worry about. I can't imagine there are people lurking in these woods waiting for kids.


----------



## Hey Mama! (Dec 27, 2003)

Wow, I'd like to know where all these abducted kids live. I just cant imagine living my life in such fear.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marianne723*
> 
> I hope you never regret it. Kids are being abducted everywhere...even out of their own yards. Most of them found dead. I would never let my kids play in the woods these days. It is just too dangerous.


If there was an area like that around us then yes I'd let my kids play there. I played in a wooded creek area when I was a kid. I never encountered an adult, nor any wild animals. I did find some used condoms now and then but knew not to touch them. Actually we have a creek going through our yard. I'd love to let my girls play in it but the city sprays it with herbicide and pesticides every summer. My girls play in the woods behind my grandpa's house when we visit. The thing I worry about most there is ticks.


----------



## 95191 (Nov 8, 2007)

Quote:


> I just cant imagine living my life in such fear.


I have seen what that does to the mental health of the child that grows up with a parent that is fearful.

We allow playing in the woods (bears and snakes are in our area), going outside on on the street and not living with paranoid fear where there is no documented statistic to back up the unfounded speculation. We also strongly avoid people that perpetuate unreasonable fear and prefer the company of sound individuals as playmates and parents there of.


----------



## Ldavis24 (Feb 19, 2009)

having grown up playing in the woods very unsupervised most of the time I'm sure I'll be flexible with DD playing in the woods, if we hopefully live near some...I spent a lot of time bushwhacking with my cousins and following streams to see where they went. We had so much fun, something about exploring outside without adults is just so...wonderful..

Hell as a Senior in high school I was regularly skipping school (I wasn't exactly a model student, although I got great grades) and driving up to the National Forest (this is NH) and going for hikes for hours completely alone. Looking back now I find that doing what I did in high school was WAY more dangerous than playing in the woods as a kid. Hiking alone, without telling anyone where I was, without any real gear to speak of was not the smartest of ideas, but somehow I survived I suppose and I loved my solitary hiking.

I'm not overly concerned about DD playing in the woods when she is old enough, hopefully she'll have a sibling by then and 2 is always better than one when you are outside in the "wilderness"


----------



## Owen'nZoe (Sep 7, 2005)

I'm in the 'it depends on the woods and the kid" camp, but in your circumstance, I wouldn't hesitate. Let them have fun!

We have access to 2 wooded areas - one set of grandparents live in some woods. I played there as a child, and would love for my kids to, but a neighbor's doberman frequently wanders into the yard. I do let them out alone there sometimes, but I tend to keep a pretty close eye from nearby.

The other is a large wooded property my family has that is in the middle of a larger forested area. I know some said they wouldn't do it if it were a large forest for fear that the child would get lost, but I think that is underestimating the kids. I think most kids are pretty careful, and devise rather clever ways to find their way through the woods. I don't remember ever getting really lost - I remember thinking I might be lost a few times, but then reorienting myself and realizing I knew how to get home. If we had ever really gotten lost, I suspect we could have walked in circles for days without finding a road or a house, but that never even came close to happening. Unfortunately for my kids, we don't go to our land very often, and now cougars have returned and we've seen some evidence of poachers recently, so we'd have to see.


----------



## Shera971 (Nov 26, 2008)

If my DS was older (he's 5 now) I might say yes if he was with a friend but definitely not in any of the wooded areas by me. TBH, the woods described in posts on this thread sound wonderful but nothing like the ones in my area. While walking my dog I have found abandonded party sites with broken beer bottles, used condoms, underwear (really, who forgets their underwear?) and used needles. As well, a lot of the wooded areas are used for hook-ups for sexual encounters, even in the daytime. Not my idea of an environment for kids to play and explore.


----------



## Chicky2 (May 29, 2002)

Yes, quite often, as the woods are in my backyard. BUT we only have 2.5 acres that are totally wooded, w/a run off creek running thru, and they take our 2 labs w/them. And never alone, and they can hear me if I yell from the back door. And they know they must answer me....Behind our property is more woods, but ours is fenced, so the boundaries are obvious. Next door is empty and there's 6 acres, mostly wooded there, and we explore that too, but the kids don't alone right now because we are having LOTS of coyotes and I saw another (or the same) cougar last week and the dogs won't go past our property (they are still trained to their radio fencing we had for years). The coyotes and cougars will come up in our yard, though (well, right behind the fencing, although a cat will certainly jump it if they really want something). They are much more interested in my chickens and ducks and guineas. Anywhoo, yes, but w/our dogs, and that's only because of the big cats/coyotes/stray dogs. They LOVE to explore, and I wouldn't take that away from them. Oh, and if there's water in the creek the 4 yo can't go w/out me or dh or the oldest dd (22).

They all know what poison ivy looks like, and love snakes. They know the difference between poison and not poison, and will come running up to find dh or the oldest dd to show them a snake they caught.


----------



## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

I wish I could let DD play in the woods behind our house, but a) she would be trespassing (there are signs posted) and b) there is a history of homeless camps there. There are homeless camps in almost any sizeable patch of woods in our Southern city. Not that I think all homeless people are murderers or something, but I don't like the idea of it. I don't know how common this issue is...I was not aware of it in the woods near me when I was a kid.

In a different area, I would definitely allow it. Wildlife don't concern me at all, though if I lived someplace with grizzlies, okay. Poisonous snakes...well, we do have them here, but I guess I'd just give her some safety pointers on that and let it go. She's probably just as likely to get a snakebite out hiking with me.


----------



## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

Oh, also. I recently bought a pair of safety whistles for when we were camping, because I wanted to let DD explore. One with me, one with her. If she blows the whistle, she needs help; if I blow it, she's to come back.


----------



## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

Yes. We live on 80 acres of forest that abuts another thousand acres of woods. DD doesn't play in there alone, but she spends a lot of time with us in the woods right around our house and along our driveway. She is confident in finding her way on our most commonly used trails. Usually she leads the way when we all hike together. I'm looking forward to when she's old enough (I don't know when that will be) to walk through the woods to her friend's house. My biggest concern is getting lost, so we are teaching her about where it is ok to be and what trails are the ones we use and where they go. It will be years before she can apply that independently, but she will someday. I like the whistle idea, loraxc!


----------



## Aliyahsmommy (Sep 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *marianne723*
> 
> I hope you never regret it. Kids are being abducted everywhere...even out of their own yards. Most of them found dead. I would never let my kids play in the woods these days. It is just too dangerous.


THIS!!!!

My kids play in the backyard, which is a walk-out from my kitchen. When they are older they can play a couple houses down our street, but always within my eyesight if I step into my yard.

My kids do many many fun activities, but yes I do avoid things that are dangerous. I'm sure everyone who ever had a child kidnapped from there neighborhood or even yard thought it would never happen to them. I bet after it happened their kids were never again out of their eyesight. I'm not quite that protective, but the risk just is not worth it to me. My kids can still have an awesome childhood while staying close fairly safe


----------



## LiLStar (Jul 7, 2006)

Definitely! Not alone at 4 (she would freak out anyway, wouldn't want to be alone) but like, 9-10? Sure. I'm specifically thinking in the context of the wooded area that *I* had access to as a child. Its small enough to not get lost in, and completely surrounded on all sides by suburban residential areas. Its far enough into residential-land for animals to not be a concern. Its possible there could be some harmless, non-venomous snakes but I've never seen any there. We don't have venomous snakes in the region. Never seen poison ivy. I have seen stinging nettles, and have touched it many times as a child. My brothers taught me a certain fern that has these little green/brown bumps on the bottoms of the leaves. If you rub that on the nettle rash, it gets better quickly! The fern was more plentiful than the nettles  I was in those woods a few weeks ago, finding a geocache, and it was exactly the same in there! It made me almost giddy. I loved hanging out in there. If we lived in that neighborhood, I would definitely let my kids play there. Heck, I might pack them a picnic and shoo them out the door myself! But thats way in the future. We have an acre and 1/4 at our house and..well, I wouldn't say we have woods, but there's enough trees on the property that a few corners of it feel that way, enough that you have to take "trails".. but its SMALL. dd won't go out there alone..lol. we've only lived here a couple weeks. Maybe later in the summer she'd feel more comfy. There's this little path you can take that leads right into whats almost a clearing, but with trees covering it so that its like a domed roof. I just found that spot a couple days ago. It sorta feels like being in the woods but you're like, no more than like, 15-20 feet from the main yard, clearly visible from the deck.


----------



## Interrobang (May 15, 2011)

I do let my children play in the woods. We have fenced acres with woodland, streams and ponds. It's a wonderful place for them to explore! They are ages 7 and 5. My only rules are that they don't leave the fences without asking and that they not go close to the edge of deep water (over 2 ft) alone, either have me, sibling, or a friend. And don't go near certain ill-tempered livestock.

This is one of the big reasons I abandoned big city life. I wanted my children to grow up in the forest, not the concrete jungle  Weekend visits are enough for us!


----------



## Okapi (Jul 11, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Hey Mama!*
> 
> The thing I worry about most there is ticks.


This is why DD will likely never get to run wild in the woods like my brothers & I did as kids (and, FTR, by the time I was 5 or 6 - so my brothers would have been 2 or 3 - we were allowed to go out together in the woods on our property, and when they were closer to 4 or 5, that area expended). When I was 9 we moved to a much larger property surrounded by woods and didn't really have limits, just safety precautions. Generally, we didn't go that far off our property, though. Sadly, while my parents still live at the same place, it is now completely infested with ticks. We used to see maybe one or two over an entire year between all of us, now my dad will find a couple every day. I can't even let DD walk with him up to the back field to feed the horses unless it's the dead of winter, and that is entirely over shortly mown grass.


----------



## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Aliyahsmommy*
> 
> THIS!!!!
> 
> ...


Out of curiosity, how old are your kids? I mean the 2-year-old doesn't go out in the woods LOL. It's a 9-year-old.


----------



## Cherry_Blossom (Nov 7, 2009)

This thread makes me happy.







I'm glad so many kids still get to play in the woods. It was definitely my favorite place as a kid. There is a lot of wild nature in my neighborhood, and about a dozen kids on our street that all pretty much have free run of the neighborhood. While we don't have a 'proper' woods, there are patches of brushy areas with trees that work well enough for exploring, and a shallow river out back. We're in a small town with really no concern about dangerous animals or street people. All the parents keep their eyes out for the roaming pack of kids.


----------



## Cherry_Blossom (Nov 7, 2009)

My kids are at their dad's this weekend, but the neighborhood kids just knocked on my door anyway to ask me to 'rescue' a toad their own parents wouldn't touch. LOL Everyone knows I'm the one to go to for help with nature and animals.


----------



## Interrobang (May 15, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EarthRootsStarSoul*
> 
> My kids are at their dad's this weekend, but the neighborhood kids just knocked on my door anyway to ask me to 'rescue' a toad their own parents wouldn't touch. LOL Everyone knows I'm the one to go to for help with nature and animals.


That's so cute!


----------



## happy1nluv (Apr 1, 2005)

Some of my favorite childhood memories are playing in the woods... in my backyard AND in my best friends, who had a relatively shorter strip of woods bordered by a lake!  (I dont remember NOT being allowed down there... and we were friends from K on...)


----------



## Tonia Starr (May 14, 2011)

Ther is a small patch of woods a couple houses down from our home. I allow my 10 and 8 year olds to play in it without an adult but I periodically wak up to check on them. (Its a small patch of woods so i can hear her voices no matter where they are. I know our neighbors well and there is no huntig there or anything. May of the neighborhood kids tromp around there. We spent a couple yrs living in an apartmnt with NO YARD so I am thankful they can play and explore and burn off energy instead of sitting in front of cartoons all day like some kids.


----------



## sweetpeppers (Dec 19, 2007)

Absolutely! Playing in the woods was one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. I will encourage my son to do the same. I don't think playing outside is any more dangerous than playing inside. In fact I was just thinking about that the other day. I would like to see statistics on that actually. What percentage of accidents that kids have are outside playing and which are inside.


----------



## Stephenie (Oct 11, 2007)

I ran around in the woods as a kid. If We had a similar set up to what I had growing up (a few acres backing a neighborhood, in an area with very few dangerous animals) then I would do it at 8-10ish depending on the kid no problem. Now we live in suburban TX... no woods here to let the kids play in. We do take them out to a nature preserve often, but they are 2 and 4 so they don't run around by themselves.


----------



## flightgoddess (Mar 4, 2009)

I loved playing in the woods as a kid. It wasn't huge or deep, but there was a property line fence. If the woods your kids use doesn't have a 'fence' or property marker that 'keeps them in' so to say, then definately find out who else has property in the woods, and discuss with them their use and the kids use of the woods. If they do hunt, then set up some strict rules. If not, it probably is still nice to ask permission to run around in their woods.


----------



## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

It makes me so happy that there are so many kids enjoying nature!

Way to go!


----------



## peainthepod (Jul 16, 2008)

Not until they're much older. Our acreage is mostly wooded and we have lots of wild animals including apex predators like bear and cougar, as well as moose, which are extremely dangerous if disturbed. And our neighbors all hunt on their land and I'd need to be able to trust that the littles wouldn't wander off the property. We do love the woods--we just go out together for now.


----------



## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

No, people shoot guns in the woods behind/beside our house all the time, even though we live in a neighborhood with a homeowner's association! (We're in the Deep South, can you tell? haha) We do play in the woods WITH the kids, though.


----------



## Owen'nZoe (Sep 7, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Okapi*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


Really curious - how does keeping them out of the woods keep them from getting ticks? We're finding several a month on my son, who picks them up at afterschool. The afterschool has no trees, no gardens, and most of the playground is covered with rubber or cement.


----------

