Wooooow, I think Britain won this round. JFK, can you imagine being told you're not allowed to push your kid on the swing because you might be a pedophile? Instead you have to hand him over to a bunch of strangers?

I'm just in disbelief. And who's to say their vetted "rangers" aren't pedophiles who just haven't been caught yet?

I posted my graphic based solely on the description here at Plime. After reading the article, I honestly am struck dumbfounded, which is no small feat.

It is only a matter of time before one of these trusted "play rangers" (God what a disgusting level we have gotten to to come up with something like this) does something to a kid.

Ugh...I just cannot believe it.

I'm personally glad of police checks and taking precautions when it comes to those who work with children.

This playground isn't like one of the thousands of public ones dotted around Britain where ANYONE can take their kids to play and are unsupervised and open to anyone.

It seems quite popular to post stories like this decrying Britain as a "nanny state" when in reality it's a snapshot, and a twisted on at that, of life in Britain.

It's like Brits making a huge deal over America's gun laws and thinking everyone in America is a gun slinging gangsta.

Here's a list of the area in questions playgrounds



TWO of the 40 are supervised, the ones in the article.

Here's a link to the adventure centres website.



It's a safe, supervised drop-in centre for kids aged 5-15.

Scouts ect have always insisted on police checks for parents wanting to help with activities and this adventure centre is NO different.

I hate this sensationalistic, "ZOMG, Britain's a nanny state" comments and articles.

Look at the context, don't believe the hype and do some research into the topic for god's sake.

If I were a pedophile I know what job I would be signing up for.

No parents, tons of kids, complete govt trust... good deal.

And youth centres, schools, scouts, girl guides, summer camps etc, etc?

This is nothing new

Really? Are you f**king kidding me? If someone were to tell me I couldn't watch my kid, I'd punch them. I wouldn't trust anyone but family or close friends with my kids.

Damn you're in trouble when your kid goes to school because guess what, you ain't allowed in there either.

I don't see what everyone is getting all pissy about. I'm all for it and think it is great idea, I wish they would have similar things round here.

Are you kidding me? This is a terrible idea. Parents not being able to watch their own children? It's ludicrous.

Why?

I am not allowed to watch my sons indoor football training. I am not allowed to sit in with him during lessons, I am not allowed to sit in on his boy scouts sessions, I am not allowed to sit in on his swimming lessons.

He goes to various after school clubs for fencing, computing and so on and I am not allowed in those either.

What is worse in my opinion is parents who constantly mollycoddle kids who turn out spineless whingebags because they have never been anywhere or done anything without parents being there to hold their hand.

I'm not talking about in school or during extracurricular activities. I'm talking about on a playground. Parents should be able to watch their own kids on a playground. To ban them from it is ridiculous.

School, summer camp, school trips, girl guides, boy scouts, youth clubs, day care. The list goes on

IF parents want a place where their kids are supervised by police checked workers then why is this wrong?

IF you don't want to leave your kids while they play in a safe environment then take them to one of the countless public parks where you can stay with them.

Why is this a terrible idea exactly?

Have you read the article and the additional links posted up there? It isn't a playground; it is a supervised outdoor adventure area. I think the article has given completely the wrong impression of what the "playground" actually is.


What about the soft play area in nearly every single eating place I have been in recently? I'm not allowed in because I am too big. Maddie goes in and is supervised by an employee who has had checks done on them. Isn't this the same but outside?

This is another nail in my fertility coffin...

That coffin is kid's sized...

I am opposed to ANYTHING & ANYONE banning ME from MY child's field of vision...

If I had a child...

Just so you know, that's not how it is in America. Sure, there's a size requirement on those places, but a parent is expected to watch the child. There is no employee watching them; it's the parents' responsibility.

Even in play areas that are 'supervised adventure areas' (such as Discovery Zone) the parent is expected to supervise. Parents are invited to stay during Boy/Girl Scouting activities.

So perhaps the outrage here is a cultural difference. (partially due to our litigious society; it's mostly to protect the company from a lawsuit should the child be injured by falling, etc).

Well judging from the comments we have so far I'd say that it's score one point for the Brits.

The two of us from the UK here don't seem to have a problem leaving our children with Government employees who have had stringent police checks done on them where as all of our friends from the other side of the pond seem terrified at the thought of their child being out of sight for any length of time.

If that isn't a fear based society then I don't know what is.

No ones forcing anyone to take their kids here. It's not a legal requirement. It's an adventure centre that you CAN if you WANT leave your kids at to play

I couldnt believe this when i read it. I am the mother of 7 with 3 gr.kids, i wouldnt hand my sons over to strangers to go to the playground much more the potty. i have no tolerance for stupid people

lynxears is correct. Add that to the list, in America, parents are absolutely allowed inside school grounds (provided they have a pass from the principal's office and don't interrupt classroom activities). That's the only reason they usually wouldn't in general, though, because it's unnecessary and it would disrupt (they can't accommodate everyone's parents). But beyond that, parents are most certainly expected to supervise at, for instance, Chucky Cheese's, McDonald's Playplace, DiscoverZone (that's still around?), and any myriad of other places where kids congregate for fun. At a park or playground, if a child is *not* with their parent, or if the parent is not paying attention to the kid, that creates concern.

Banning parents from going somewhere with their kids in the US is usually a logistics/accommodation issue, certainly not a "you haven't been trained in child protection" issue or things of that sort. And if it happened here, I'm sure we'd get a HUGE f**king outcry for it. In fact, you're seeing it here.

So yes, it probably is a cultural thing. I've not been to the UK, but if that's how the general public goes about things when it comes to this sort of thing, then sure, you're more used to it and accepting. But here, the parents are always first and foremost trusted with the care of their children, until they prove otherwise.