A request to parents

[Cookiebaker]

I would hope that you either don't have any close neighbors, or that your child's version of being loud outside doesn't include screaming. Otherwise in giving your child her 'freedom', you are taking away the freedom of your close neighbors to have quiet in their own home. And if your child typically screams outdoors, how is anyone to know when she is actually hurt or in trouble?

I refuse to feel guilty about allowing my daughter to be loud in the great outdoors. I don't believe in the mentality that children should be seen and not heard. I believe in training children to be loud when and where its appropriate, and likewise to be quiet where its appropriate. Children are not much different than some pets in they have lots of energy that needs to get burned off or they go stir-crazy. The great outdoors is exactly where that energy should be burned off!!!! Fresh air, under the great blue sky, in the green grass. If you take that away from children, then what is left???? And for the record, my daughter does not go outside before 9 am, and is inside after 7 pm.

There is a BIG difference between happy-shouting and hurt-screaming....a BIG one. There is no mistaking one from another.

Face it, its part of living in society that we get along with other people, and they get along with us. We have a neighbor who goes to work at 4 am, when they tie their big German Shepherd out....said dog barks from 4 am until sunup every single day.

We have neighbors on our left who 3-4 times a summer throw loud parties, all night long on the river. This includes loud(!) music and fireworks at 11 pm, 2 am, 3 am etc. These neighbors also are in the habit of 1-2 times per month filling our house up with smoke when they decide to burn some super stinky trash.

Do we complain? No. We grin and bear it because we know that we also likely have just as annoying habits to them as they do to us.

One reason that I love Jesus so much.....He wasn't ever annoyed with children, He welcomed them with open arms and said, "Let the little children come to me", even though they were dirty, loud, and in the way.

[Karen]

There is a BIG difference between happy-shouting and hurt-screaming....a BIG one. There is no mistaking one from another.

I beg to differ on that one, you never heard my neighbor child when she was younger. She never was kidnapped or threatened, thankfully, but you would not have known it from her screams! I don't know how many times I went out to check, to see her playing, not in trouble.

[Randi]

Why should one be forced to wear earplugs in one's own house. Why should a person have to go somewhere other than their own home to have quiet time? Giving your child her 'freedom', you are taking away the freedom of your close neighbors to have quiet in their own home.

I so agree with this! There's been days it was so noisy here that I couldn't read, couldn't concentrate on work I had to do on the computer, and not even be able to hear what they said on TV. That really is annoying! So I can certainly sympathise with some of you.