'Nature Deficit disorder'

[hatler]

Beeb article about the perils of not letting children play outside.

All obvious stuff to the denizens of yacf and some good common sense being quoted in the piece.

Why doesn't everyone else get it ?

"I think the first step for any child is playing outdoors in the street; and in the 40 years since I grew up, traffic has increased hugely, and that's the main reason why none of us let our kids out on their own," Mr Moss told BBC News.

"The only solution would be to have pedestrian priority on every residential street in Britain; when you are driving along the street, if there are children playing, they have priority."

[Kim]

In legal terms, don't children playing on the street already have priority?

The problem is a social one.  People in cars are simply More Important.

[Wowbagger]

In legal terms, don't children playing on the street already have priority?

The problem is a social one.  People in cars are simply More Important.

I had a perfect example of this yesterday. I was riding in the centre of the road, parked cars on either side, room enough only for one vehicle, when a young chap coming the other way in some sort of hatchback decided that he would take the lane as well, hooting as he did. I held my ground and we both stopped.

"Don't you fink that cyclists ought to ... wossname... give way to car drivers?"

"Absolutely not! I'd taken the lane and you should have waited."

That was the end of the part of the conversation that was not laden with expletives.

[mcshroom]

'I have a right to be here, you're only here under license' is a line I've used before.

[Speshact]

I cycled my groups of primary school kids in Westminster down to Kensington Gardens today to watch the four gorgeous Tawny Owlets. The kids loved it 

[mattc]

In legal terms, don't children playing on the street already have priority?

The problem is a social one.  People in cars are simply More Important.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but I think the priorities are equal. Which seems sensible - when a car arrives you finish the current Calvinball point, let them pass, then continue.

Share and share alike 

[Kim]

Bringing a motorised vehicle to a game of Calvinball, which occasionally dramatic, just seems a little unsporting...   

[Regulator]

Whilst I agree that children need more access to outdoor activity, the suggestion that there is a condition of 'Nature Deficit Disorder' is laughable and was roundly trounced on the Today programme this morning.

[hatler]

Whilst I agree that children need more access to outdoor activity, the suggestion that there is a condition of 'Nature Deficit Disorder' is laughable and was roundly trounced on the Today programme this morning.

Agreed, and that point is made in the article.

[mark]

Interestingly enough, an article with the same title showed up in today's New York Times. Just like the BBC article, the author mentioned all the behavior and health problems that go with spending too much time indoors. Calling the problem "Nature Deficit Disorder" might be going a little too far, but I can usually figure out pretty quickly when a person has spent too much of his life indoors, or hasn't gotten enough unsupervised playtime in his/her childhood.

[dave r]

Its the wonderful thing about where I'm living now, in the summer there normally loads of kids zooming around on bikes and generally playing in the street, up the top of the road theres often a hockey game going on with kids zooming around on skates.

[Dibdib]

I think it's a case of both drivers and kids having a bit of common sense.

Ultimately, in my opinion it depends on the street - I grew up on a quiet cul-de-sac with a lot of kids which was probably more play area than thoroughfare, and so any driver with half a brain will expect the possibility of there being a game of football around the corner.

Equally, the A419 is for getting from A to B (motorised or not), not kickflips and roller hockey.

Obviously these are two extremes - where exactly the line is, I dunno.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The street I lived on in India was closed to traffic for a few days by the actions of one family. The grandfather died, and first his body was laid out in a glass-topped coffin on the street before being taken off for cremation. Then eleven days later they set up a marquee which occupied the whole width of the street and had a kind of wake - more of a party really, with lots of food and kids running around everywhere. It's a great way to get to know the neighbours.