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

[mamazee]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

not alone, no. We have bears around.

[frugalmum]

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]

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]

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.

[kathymuggle]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.