[Tsters]

Hi, This is a question for families there with young children. I have a son who is 7 and a daughter who is 3.

My burning question is this, will a move to New Zealand give my children the childhood I want for them. What I am hoping for is something more carefree and independant, especially for my son. He is very sporty and out doorsy and would love to be allowed up the park with his mates on his own. Or to build a treehouse or den somewhere, mess about in a stream and come home filthy but happy.

Here in the uk the local parks are filled with teenagers hanging around and the council don't build any facilities (ie a skate park). I have to drive him to the nearest skate park and then he has to have me hanging around with him.

I know what i am hoping for sounds a bit like a movie scrip childhood but is something like this even a bit possible? I would be grateful to any one who can share their experiences (good or bad) so I have some idea what to expect.

Thanks
Toni, Wayne, Ethan and Libby.

About to submit EOI.:clap

[willowshouse]

At the moment, yes .. even in Auckland! This place is so much better for kids (IMO)

[Familyofmonkeys]

I would be much happier to let my kids out here than in UK. Plus in comparison to UK, you can afford more for your money....means bigger garden for kids to run around and make dens if they do still need some supervision.

[swissmissdesigner]

Hi, This is a question for families there with young children. I have a son who is 7 and a daughter who is 3.



Here in the uk the local parks are filled with teenagers hanging around and the council don't build any facilities (ie a skate park). I have to drive him to the nearest skate park and then he has to have me hanging around with him.

Thanks
Toni, Wayne, Ethan and Libby.

About to submit EOI.:clap

I think this is more about safety issue because local parks (especially in a city) have limited space.

[dharder]

I'd like to know more about this, too, but suppose this depends on where you are actually living.

When do people in Auckland let their children out alone? Do you let them cycle to places, and from what age? I doubt there are many streams to muck in or public places to build treehouses, but do they go down the road to see if their friends from school are in?

I find this such a shame in London that no one does that, that the children are hardly ever left on their own to play.

We are currently staying with my mother in German suburbia, and it is so different from our East London life to just send the boys off to school on their own (they are seven), and to see them take off on their bikes in the afternoon to see if their friends have time to play, have to be back by six, but in the meantime pretty much roam around the local neighbourhood.

I don't have great expectations that this will be similar in Auckland (it is a very car oriented place, and I would hesitate to let a seven year old cycle anywhere), but it can't be worse than Walthamstow :)

I would really love to hear more from people with children, Auckland or not, how their childhoods differ from their UK ones.

Daniela

[katandbob]

I'm not in Auckland, but Southland is much more rural, I see kids out playing in both the city and the townships, they go to the parks by them selves, ride their bikes etc. You don't hear parents saying that they are scared to let them out the gate. All kids seem to have good road sense.

Parents still take them to Footy/rugby etc, drop them off at the bus stops for the buses to school in rural areas (normally because they live too far for them to walk to the stop) but the kids along the road are always out making their own fun, walking their dog etc.

I wish I had got here 10 yrs ago with all my kids - they would be totally different to what they are now, more into sport and less into PC's.

Kat