I am glad this is finally being debated. When I was a child we were outside all the time. We built dens in ditches under hedges and generally had a great time. There used to be a rag & bone man that came around on his horse and cart who used to help us build our dens or the bonfire for bonfire night. No one bothered about it.

Just recently, our village held its fete and I let my 9 yo daughter go and watch the procession on her own and gave her some money to spend on the stalls. A short while later a friend rang to say she had picked up my daughter but needed to go somewhere else. As the girls (hers and mine) wanted to stay, she told them to not talk to anyone, stay together, not leave the field until I got there & if they saw someone they knew, not to let them know that a parent wasn't with them because we would get arrested! Could I please get down there quickly. The field wasn't even a five minute walk from where I lived! I did go because I felt responsible for her child

KAS, Beds, UK

why do we fall? so we can pick ourselves back up! If we did not fall we would not learn how to pick ourselves up and would therefore be totally unprepared for adulthood.

sarah, york,

I spent the majority of my childhood in Glasgow where I essentially had free run of my neighbourhood and wasn't kept in by my parents. In contrast my siblings who grew up after moving to Canada spent most of their time indoors, particularly my younger sister who at 13 is still subject to numerous conditions that I never had imposed. Personally, I think I got the better deal. Educate your kids on the dangers but let them have a childhood.

Scott Millson, Toronto, Canada

The fact that this article even needs to be published and debated says an awful lot about what a lunatic asylum the UK is developing into, and merely reassures me that I made the right decision to leave urban Britain behind and bring up my children in 18 acres of beautiful French countryside.

Jon Leigh, Southern, France

I cant believe this is even an issue. For centuries an essential part of childhood has been to cross boundaries- otherwise how would they know where the boundaries are when they are older?
Just like the idea of strict hygiene can have an impact on the development and effectiveness of a childs immune system, how can keeping a kid inside or on a tight leash serve a good purpose? What makes people think that diverging from the traditional 'rough and dirty' upbringing is in anyone's best interest? These days we seem to overthrow our traditions and accepted morals too easily. We should trust that previous generations have done a good enough job, and not wrap our kids up in cotton wool.

James, Winchester, UK

Agreed - I grew up in the countryside and heaven knows had my share of falling out of trees, tramping around in a forest, and getting scraped up by thorns and what not, but it made my life fun. I feel like parents nowadays are way too overbearing and overprotective. I mean, how are kids going to learn how to ride their bike without getting a couple bruises or scrapes from falling down. How are they supposed to learn that bee stings do hurt and that jumping off a swing set isn't the best idea if they don't actually do it.

Scientific proof of scrapes and bruises and broken bones builds stronger kids? Well scientifically speaking when you break a bone and reset it, the bone actually becomes stronger due to the bone rehealing and depositing more calcium. Asthma has increased greatly in children during the 1990s (when PCs became prevalent), the rate of childhood obesity and diabetes has increased within the last 10 years. There's a lot of reasons to let a child go outside.

Jasmine, New York,

I'm sorry there is little risk involved with the idea. So many children have allergy problems and poor immune systems because they havent scraped or bruised themselves. Its not the end of the world if a kid breaks their arm - certainly most people in my year when I was a kid had broken a bone at some point before they were 18 and it did them nothing more than a bit of pain and then a cool cast to write on. The idea would also increase people's fitness - surely a couple of bumps now and then because a child fell out of a tree is better than all the health risks that are involved with the sedentary lifestyle children know have. But this scheme would never work until we remove the pathetic culture that we live in, that blames other people for any minor injury and where people will sue councils and schools (who are already incredibly strapped for money) becuase their child fell off a swing.

Gemma, york,

Why are parents paranoid about their children getting bruises? Social services, that why.

So called "childcare professionals" seem willing to subscribe to the theory that it is possible for a child to grow-up without ever sustaining cuts or bruises and that any sign of physical harm is automatically an indicator of abuse (either deliberate phgysical abuse or abuse by neglect).

Bob, Reading,

The first time i saw the amount of bruising on my sons legs at the age of 9 or so, i must admit i was concerned , on questioning him,it turned out tree climbing and den making were the culprit.He was oblivious to my concerns, i then remembered how it was when i was a young lad.
How ever it is worrying when the places he plays are taken over in the evening by gangs of teenagers, where drink is in abundance, drugs are smoked openly and bad language is normal practice, where , even young girls fight swear and bully younger children and even attack passers by. Just where do children go to get bumps and bruises that build character when the play area's are run by thiugs.

P Fryer, wolverhampton, westmidlands

This makes total sense, well done RoSPA. What also struck me is that there are also health benefits to be playing outside that sadly many kids nowadays miss out on. It's not just the fresh air and exercise than kids benefit from but also actually getting dirty. Kids need to be build up an imune system and they aren't going to do this effectively if they're shut up indoors in a clean house all the time.

Any parent to denies their child the freedom to play outside with their friends, building tree houses and rope swings is getting it wrong.

Accidents happen - that's life - and children need to learn that.

Clare, Harrogate,

Like most mothers, I am more protective of my children than my husband. For children to be more active having a FATHER is important.

I am willing to bet that children from two parents families are outdoors more and take more physical chances because there is a father.

Although, I just broke my ankle and I made a point of telling the hospital that my husband was on a business trip in California so they would not suspect abuse. Pretty sad.

Anne, NY, NY,

I can't believe that the "Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents" even exists - surely the nature of an accident means that it is accidental i.e. an unforeseen or unexpected event. How can there be a society for the prevention of unforeseen events? This is gloriously Kafkaesque...

MB, Edinburgh,

ROSPA is totally correct. Humans learn by making mistakes. There is no substitute for experience. A "zero risk" model may be appropriate for a baby, but as they grow they need to learn about taking and managing risks. Usually this coincides with a gradual shift from mothering to fathering - that's one reason why children thrive in two-parent families, where both roles are present and actively involved.

rheybroek, Horley, Surrey

Just make sure Professor Sir Roy Meadow isn't behind the tree your child falls out of, he might just have some handy statistics which will jail you for twenty years. Or those two minor medics Higgs and Wyatt from Cleveland who had plods kicking doors in in dawn raids and taking dozens of children taken into care on a deranged pseudo-medical fiction.Or any of the Mad Social Workers who think every bruise is suspicious. Or any poorly trained junior doctors in Casualty. Or dinner ladies asked to spot abuse by the wrong-side -of-daft fantasists. And so on.

eric campbell, harrogate, uk

I was allowed to run rampant as a child. Apparently I was secretly followed by my granny the first few times I took the bus home alone, but otherwise I was free. And because I learned about risk and reward early on, I had a good grasp on them by my teens, and was always one of the 'sensible' ones thereafter. At senior school you could always tell whose parents had overprotected them earlier on, because they all turned into the sluts and stoners, binge-drinking their way into the gutter from the age of 12. Protective parents of younger children should ask whether that is the fate they wish on their little, bubble-wrapped angels.

Liz, London,

For Heaven's sake, what Einstein came up with that amazing revelation? As a 1966 born person, all of my age got bumps, bruises, scrapes, IT'S CALLED GROWING UP and weren't scarred physically or emotionally by any of it. I despise all this "we're all so fragile and vulnerable" rubbish of today's lifestyle. Rant over!

PHELIM WARREN, DUBLIN, IRELAND

My daughter tried on a pair of her friend's "wheelie" trainers and the inevitable happened: she fell backwards, and hurt her arm (not seriously). This taught her more than my previous refusals to get her a pair.

You are stunting your child's development if you do not allow them to slowly build up confidence and try new experiences. Preparation is the key. Talk to them about what they are going to do (eg. walk to school). Explain how they can ask for help if something goes wrong or if they get lost.

I had a very free childhood in the 1960s-70s: out on my bike after school and all summer, climbing trees, getting buses into London. As my parents were not paranoid, I didn't pick up any panic signals from them. I want my children to have this kind of childhood too, but it will take a more gradual build-up to get them there.

Deb, Kingston,

Children should experience Scouting and camping. Get a few knocks and eat a few bugs whilst growing up. Parents now seem to have missed a lot of this out or feel too guilty about working all hours to allow their 'darlings' to have any knocks.
Accidents will happen and nasty people have always existed. It is time parents got real and faced up to their responsibility of getting kids out in the fresh air learning for themselves

Cliff Wilson, Welwyn Garden City, Herts

I have to agree with the report. I have 3 daughters ages 6,4,and 1 and I will happily allow them to play in the garden without being out there with them.
I know that as children do they may fall off the slide, the certainly will land on one another on the trampoline or even trip up and crack their heads on the patio, but nothing in either my garden or the park & woods can happen to them that would make me think they should be bubble wrapped and kept inside.

Nothing that a babywipe and a hug wont fix, and if it does happen then dont throw out the slide! Your little one will learn that perhaps standing on the top of it wasn't the best idea and next time will just climb up and slide down!

I'm not sure I will be allowing the girls out with there friends on there own when they are young but that will depend on the common sense my daughters exhibit.

Klaire Loughran, Leigh on Sea, United Kingdom

I have a friend who works in a hospital. Any child who comes in with cuts & bruises, has to be reported to their boss, who informs the police / social services.

Given the police today only have 'targets' to reach, not the truth, they sometimes dont care about the truth, aslong as they get a result.

Sadly this is fact, not fiction.

Arthur, Newcastle,

Finally some common sense about the learning experiences of children. I was allowed to play outside when I was young and my son has been allowed to play outside also. However, I am not going to wait until he is 14 to allow him to play independently with his friends as he has (in my opinion) the maturity to look out for himself whilst with his friends and is aware of the potential risks and dangers. He also has a mobile phone with which to keep in contact.

Liz, Plymouth,

If you are worried about someone making off with your child, get a dog who is the child's own, and on whose companionship permission to go out alone is contingent. If the child is hurt, the dog will stay with her or summon help; it will deter or even kill anyone who tries to take her away (and it will always know who is malevolent, often before she does); caring for it in return will teach her to be selfless and responsible; and she and it will keep each other healthy. A golden retriever - big enough to scare the bad guys, docile enough to keep in a smaller home or around very tiny children - is the perfect choice. Labs need more maintenance and exercise but are a better deterrent, having a bit more bite but still totally safe with any kid in its own 'pack'. Plus it improves your kids' immune systems which prevents them getting allergies, and it's the best home alarm system money can buy. No more dedicated nanny exists.

Elizabeth, London,

If I have understood correctly, RoSPA are suggesting that children be allowed to play in the natural environment, and any small injuries such as nettle stings should be accepted as part of the experience. They aren't suggesting that children do anything unusually dangerous, just - play outside. I can't quite understand the reaction of Mr Wilkens, who seems to think something really hazardous is being proposed. After all, his kids can always play outdoors within earshot. And making kids stay indoors all the time is definitely going to harm them in the long run. What are a few nettle stings and bumps compared to obesity, lack of self-reliance and zero social skills?

H Grant, NRW, Germany

I agree with the RoSPA and Kaj Bauer. A child kept inside and safe will never get a sense of what is dangerous outside.
Bumps, bruises and scraped skin is what any healthy kid is supposed to have!
God knows how many band-aids I've used up during my childhood from wrestling with Mother Nature.

I can understand a parents concern for their child's safety, but by keeping them "safe and sound" and out of harms way, we do them a tremendous disfavor. How will the children ever develop a sense of self-awareness if they never can test their own strengths and weakness?

Thomas Kruse, Kristinehamn, Sweden

The title states children actually benefit from minor injuries in physical play ; Do they? Is there evidence in terms of benefits to their constitution, immunity and resilience? Would love to see a PART 2 with more scientific examination.

Nicolas Hirth, London,

Thankyou RoSPA. It's time to break away from this over protective, paranoid behaviour. Our children are suffering as a result and there is a very real danger that we are raising a nation of frightened, unconfident people. Of course, with so much in the media about paedophiles, for parents the prospect of letting their child out alone is terrifying. I can't help thinking there is so much coverage on this subject it leads us to believe this is a "growing" problem, but in reality all that has happened is that our awareness has grown, which feeds our fears. This problem has exsisted since the beginning of time, and always will. Of course we need to protect our children. Paedophiles and fast cars to one side, we as parents wont always be there to protect our kids from every eventuality. The best we can do for them, is to give them the tools they need to to protect themselves. Allowing them to make their own experiences is a realistic way to help them grow up strong, safe and independant.

NLK, Munich,

Not quite to the point, but a reminder of Solomon's wisdom on the subject of children and bruises:

Pr 13.24 He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him sometimes.
Pr 22:15 Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Pr.20.30 The blueness of a wound cleanses away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the being.

Of course, in our superior wisdom, such tough love is now illegal - no wonder Europe is in its current state!

charles soper, London, UK

My 18 month old daughter fell awkwardly on her wrist, causing pain and swelling. At the hospital the staff spent more time assessing whether we were abusive parents than actually treating my daughter's injury. It was a nasty experience that will make us less likely to visit hospital in future. We have heard similar stories from our friends. It won't stop us from letting our daughter play but it has made us less willing to seek medical attention if she should hurt herself.

Jon Leack, West Sussex,

Yes, but what happens when the Google-eyed kids start falling out of their tree houses , attached to the umbilical cord that is their PC ?

Swilly Tisher, Loch Maree, Scotland

@Arthur

A parent cannot be arrested unless there was some negligence on the parents part that caused the aforementioned injury. Letting your child play outside would hardly hold up in court as negligence

Jason, peotone, USA

Finally. Maybe there is hope for North America yet.

Anthony, Montreal,

Ill read this from Finland and as even our biggest cities open straight to forest ill see the need to say things like that almost absurd.

We push children out on age of 2 month´s to sleep on outside of house.

Almost every children here runs on forests from age of 3 and when they hurt themselves we clean bigger bruises and send them out again...

Kaj Bauer, Vantaa, Finland

Arthur, how many parents have been arrested for minor injuries? I've never heard of such an event happening, only ill conceived perceptions by whiney lazy parents.

Nobody says 5 year olds should be let out loose alone. Get outdoors with your children and have fun together. Then when they are teens they are less likely to think they are incincible when their mates dare them to climb the electric pylon or play chicken with passing trains.

My 8 year old climbs, slides, canoes, mountain bikes, has open access to the local park, recently took his first lone train ride, walks home from school alone.

If he falls over he picks himself back up, always has. He doesn't lay there crying until mummy or daddy rush up and smack the 'naughty floor' for tripping him up.

We have Sky TV, Playstation, a PC and various other gadgets that he is free to use... he'd rather be outside with his friends on their bikes or playing football. Simply because that is what he is used to doing.

Mark, Douglas, Isle of Man

When I was very young, my parents overprotected me. I was kept close to home, and when I was taken to the park I was kept away from other kids. At age 6, my parents moved to a better neighborhood. I was walked to kindergarten, then school. Then I got a bike & I rode all over the neighborhood. Suddenly I was free. I went everywhere. I climbed trees in my own yard, roamed thru a nearby wild area, I rode everywhere, took my dog on a leash. I went wild for a while, did dangerous things like riding too fast and climbing too high. I got skint a lot, fell out of a tree once, sprained so many ankles I can't even remember. But I do not regret any of them. I only wish my parents had given me the experience of playing with other kids earlier. They isolated me in the fear that somehow they would lose me. They stifled my social development. By the time I went to school, I wasn't able to fit in. Experience matters. All kinds.

J. Rhinehart, Spartanburg, usa

What a breath of fresh air . . . .

Could this be the first step away from the idiocy of the nanny state, back towards good old fashioned common sense ?

Chris Long, Thirsk, England

Tony Kingsbridge, whom you quote has missed the point,
a valid one, that small scrapes teach bigger lessons for later in life.
It was refreshing to hear a good observation from RoSPA, when these days some rulings about safety such as those perpertrated by local authorities, remember 'the conkers controversy' border on the neurotic.

Frank H, London,

Cars have driven children from the streets. It is not just the immediate risk of being hit by a vehicle. By making the roadside an unpleasant, polluted, noisy space, and by taking successful adults off the pavements, outside becomes an unsuitable place.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

THANK YOU RoSPA, if all the parents that are covering their kids in bubble wrap read that and actually had half a brain to listen followed this example this world would be better off, with the way parents are raising their children in a said "Safe" way, our world is gunna be full of a bunch of pansies that are scared to break a nail. I grew up on a farm 20 minutes from a small town and was allowed to roam all over the place, and sure i was full of bruises and scrapes and such and ran crying to my mom more than once but the way i look at it is i am a better person becuase of it, not even the fact that i learn about dangers but the fact that i learnt how to deal with pain, which makes a difference in the real world, dealing with physical pain can be directly transfered to dealing with emotional pain, i know it worked for me. I feel sorry for any kid that's 12 like the one mentioned in the article that isnt let outside to play with friends, poor kid is probably a complete social reject.

Jeff, Regina,

This is all common sense. Children need to learn about the world they live in and not be insulated against anything that may injure them. Prepare them for the world.
It's a bit like the competitve sports question. Children need to learn about competitive environment, winning and losing. If they grwze their need on some grass - all the better!

Tom, Poole, Dorset

i agree with the RoSPA. I allow my 4 year old son to play where he likes, within reason. Yes he falls down, yes he sometimes hurts himself, but he usually learns from his mistakes and does not do it again. The result of him being allowed to explore and experiment is a very confident young boy who is in no way timid. He will try anything once and if he is not happy with something he will ask for guidance. He is not one of these children who cry whenever they fall over and get a scratch, he is happier to think of cuts and broozes as pirate scars.

matthew harris, warrington,

Couldn't agree more.

A child growing up NEEDS to be aware of what is dangerous, what pain means.

When you are aware of this, you automatically go to greater lengths to avoid said pain, and are ultimately a 'safer' person. I was brought up like this (and have avoided becoming a suicidal maniac), and so am now applying the same method to my 2-year old son. He's still alive, and in possession of all his limbs.

Adam Cox, Bondy, France

So will the RoSPA also push for a change in the law, so parents who's kids do hurt themselves while playing out, will not be arrested as 'bad parents'?

You cant do right for doing wrong in this country.

Arthur, Newcastle,

What is wrong with parents these days? Children should be out playing, not couped up in the house. They should be running wild, climbing, falling, getting dirty. You're not putting your children in danger by letting them play, you're ruining their chance of becoming a well rounded adult if you don't!

I spent very little time in the house as a child, I bumped and bruised myself all the time. I never broke a bone, but I did sprain my wrists quite often.

Children need to let off steam. They have so much energy and need to let it out some way.

Ever noticed that the healthiest kids are the ones that come from homes that aren't spotless (not dirty, just not constantly cleaned)? Those kids are allowed to build up an imunity and simply be children.

Helen, North East,

I find it astonishing that anyone thinks otherwise. But given the PC/New Puritan society in the UK no doubt such obvious sense will be ignored.

Steve, London,

We seem to have all gone mad! 43% of adults think that kids should not go out with friends until they are 14!
What damage are we doing to our kids in wrapping them up in cotton wool.
All we do is breed a nation of fat,lazy, games consoled obsessed children.
I have 3 kids (11,9,7) and they play out in the cul-de-sac and they use the park around the corner. They have been taught to be aware of the dangers around them, always stick together and the oldest has a phone.
This is how we grew up (except for the phone), are we saying that statistically things have become so bad in the last 20+ years that our kids cannot go out?

Jason, Northwich, UK

I firmly believe that the rise in potentially dangerous activities such as urban free running, playing on railway tracks and even anti-social behaviour is mainly due to the lack of danger in childhood. If children have the chance to experience risk, albeit controlled, they develop an understanding of freedom and confidence in life and therefore do not necessarily crave the levels of excitement that death-defying activities bring. Obviously this cannot apply to all - everyone is different, but i think it would apply to the majority.

M Wilson, Ely, Cambridgeshire