European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Too Many crazies out there is it Safe for children to go out and play by Bobbie Meyers Cox news services Stefl Sci tool somewhere in America in the 1900s i m going out to play Bye. Mom " Dvo a Good time. Beaver but be Back by supper alter school somewhere in suburban Florida. 1989 eight children play on a Well kept municipal playground. The Park is in dappled Shade carpeted with Pine Needles five adults watch irom nearby picnic tables and benches the leave it to Beaver Days Are gone children no longer play on their own away from Home because parents say they re terrified to Lef their children Oul of sight. There Are too Many crazies out there said Kim Johnson of Palm Beach gardens. Johnson said she does t know Sven she will Ever Leel comfortable letting her 14-month old child out of her sight i Don t Trust anyone any  you watch leave Illo Beaver reruns and you wonder when did this occur7" said Cindy Garrett. 33. Of Palm Beach gardens the kid goes out and is roaming around playing for hours she said with a rueful shake of the head. This is something that is Long past what do these parents Lear most somebody snatching your  Garrett said i realize statistically it does t happen that often but i Don t want one of my kids to be a  the Florida department of Law enforcement had 20,869 reported cases of missing children in 1988. The bulk Are listed As runaways 291 listed As parental abductions 186 involuntary missing abductions and 1,085 missing for unknown reasons. A National crime study done by the department of Justice made the chilling projection that based on current crime rates. 83 percent of 12-year-Olds today will be victims or intended victims of violent crime by the time they reach adulthood. Going out to play in t what it used to be. The Carefree Days of leave it to Beaver Are gone. Comparative statistics on crimes against children Are difficult to come by said Julie Cartwright director of Media relations for the National Center for missing and exploited children in Washington. The Center s figures on missing children Span live years but Are not broken Down annually so an increase or decrease in crimes is impossible to determine perceived increases in crimes against children May be due to increased Public awareness and reporting rather than increased incidents. Cartwright said. Still the gut feeling of Many parents and professionals is that crimes against children Are increasing. Safely issues Are very dominant among parents now said Kathleen Aub a therapist with the Palm Beach county victim witness service. You can see this in he materials thai Are out such As workbooks and colouring books that teach children to say no to  Aub also sees it in her caseload she said. Aub works with children who have been victims or witnesses of violent crime and has seen her cases increase irom 60 referrals in 1985 to 153 in june 1989. Parents Counselor and Oiler experts in child monday. September 25, 1989 these Days Many parents Are terrified to let their children out of sight. Related professions say there Are a number of a cml of Ces raising parental concerns about children s safety the increase in population increases Carno for everyone including children and the prevalence of drugs makes parents cautious about  Street play most children Are in child care now said i Oryhan Rinker owner and director of beginnings a preschool in Lantana that s the biggest difference in kids play today they have lost a lot of their Freedom but we can be sure they Don t gel robbed of their ability to play creatively. We have nooks and crannies where they can pretend and make believe to can give them wheels and boards Lor critical thinking and problem solving ii s important that we Don t stifle creativity.  d have unimaginative adults " another Factor making children s play More structured is the changing Amily Mobile americans sometimes Imd themselves in parts of the country where they have few family or neighbourhood lies this in t Home to  said Richard Henderson adding that he and his Wile. Constance both originally from Michigan moved to Stuart from Poland several years ago. Maybe that s Why we re More careful " the Henderson s 2-year-old son sell toddled around the Early learning Centre at the gardens mall in Palm Beach gardens while dad followed closely behind Constance Henderson s 11 year old son is allowed logo to a nearby store but has restrictions on his Freedom logo out and play. As far As letting him roam or dropping him Oil at a mall to wander around no " she said. But even people who have grown up in the same area see changes that make their parenting style More protective than their Parent sgt. Laurie Vandeusen 38, of the West Palm Beach police department grew up in Lake Park. We never had that much fear when i grew up. At 8 or 9 years old we used to Lake our Quarter and go downtown by bus spend All Day on clematis Street eat lunch at Walgreen s or Woolworth s. Do you think i can think of telling my kid do Hal no  keeping children closer to Home and More supervision of play Lime is often associated with both parents working said David Bjorklund professor of psychology at Florida Atlantic University. Bjorklund and his wife Barbara also a psychologist specializing in children s behaviour write a column for parents Magazine. For a number of reasons then there is less spontaneous playing in neighbourhoods. Is thai a problem with the changing demographics of the work Lorce and change in the family Structure there is a tendency to Over Structure children s  Bjorklund said parents seem to disapprove of Aller school programs whore kids just hang out. So this is Why they sign them up for All the lessons karate Tennis. I m not saying this is bad but having every hour organized can be very stressful to  child psychologist and author Bruno Bettelheim used the German word Spiel turn to describe necessary childhood Freedom in an article in the Atlantic monthly called the importance of  the word Means free scope plenty of room Bettelheim writes. To move not Only one s elbows but also one s mind to Experiment with things and ideas at one s Leisure to toy with  children need to be protected and they also need to be allowed to develop Independence parents try to find a balance i m scared to  said Lois Noble Mother of two children a Parent Counselor Wilh child care resource & referral a non profit organization based in Delray Beach that helps parents Imd licensed Day care Noble said i Don t let my children go outside by themselves. My son s 8vz and i watch him while he walks out front to put the garbage at the curb. Maybe i m too overprotective but i d rather be Safe than  the stars and stripes Page 13