Mother and child constructions of risk in outdoor play

Allin, Linda; West, Amanda; Curry, Stephanie

doi:10.1080/02614367.2013.841746

Cited by 33 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Despite societal changes, mothers tend to remain responsible for the care of children and the accompanying risk management. This responsibility felt by mothers, influences their children’s outdoor play [ 193 ]. Research that concurrently considers the benefits and harms of active outdoor play is required, including exploring age and gender-related differences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Tremblay

Gray

Babcock³

et al. 2015

IJERPH

308

226

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3–12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N = 9) and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N = 17), and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N = 1908). More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks— is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Tremblay

Gray

Babcock³

et al. 2015

IJERPH

308

226

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The good mother is expected to devote a considerable amount of time and effort to ensure the optimal development of her child (Allin et al . , Hays ). She is expected to manage time by planning and organising her children's free time to create a lifestyle centred on their wellbeing.…”

Section: Mothers As Time Managersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children's active outdoor play: ‘good’ mothering and the organisation of children's free time

Clark

Dumas

2020

Sociology Health & Illness

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This qualitative study draws on the Foucault‐inspired notion of biopedagogies to examine and problematise the salient factors of contemporary motherhood impacting children's active outdoor play (AOP). The study positions mothering as a practice, through which children's health and bodies are constructed and disciplined. A discourse analysis of 21 interviews with Canadian mothers identified three discursive constructions of the ‘good mother’: mothers as time managers, risk managers and screen‐time managers. Each was characterised by discursive conflicts that compromised the provision of AOP by mothers. This study provides data necessary for successfully including AOP as a leisure practice within family‐centred health promotion.

show abstract

“…Research and public opinion suggest that the decline in children's outdoor play is also a result of a heightened concern and aversion of 'risks' among parents and children (O'Brien et al, 2000;Pain, 2006;Valentine, 2017;Vandermaas-Peeler, Dean, Biehl, & Mellman, 2019). Studies have documented how concerns about 'stranger danger' instilled fear in parents who consequently restricted their children's play in public space (Allin, West, & Curry, 2014;Valentine, 2017), and identified concern among parents (mothers) of the risk of injury to children caused by automobiles as they negotiate busy roads and parking lots (McLaren & Parusel, 2015;Smyth & Craig, 2017) and playgrounds with climbing structures (Alexander et al, 2018).…”

Section: Risk and Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, while North American parents appreciate the value of outdoor play, their concerns related to risk impair their ability to act on these values. With the introduction of these counter movements and the increased valuing of outdoor play, scholars have shown that, in addition to experiencing shame for not protecting their children, mothers were also judged by their peers if they did not allow their children enough freedom in the outdoors to experience the benefits articulated above (Allin et al,, 2014). Some parents were therefore positioned as less than capable if they failed to actively 'develop' resilience in their children with enough exposure to risk cultivated through an open-air autonomy (Hoffman, 2010).…”

Section: Risk and Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk, nostalgia and the production of the ideal childhood in online commentary on children’s outdoor play

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We use Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine comments posted online in response to news articles that reported on one Canadian neighbourhood's 'ban' on children's outdoor play. Our analysis showed that reader comments, both for and against the ban on street play, accessed discourses of risk that produced an idealized childhood based on close parental supervision. Additionally, nostalgic discourse, the feeling that unfettered, wholesome outdoor play has been lost and cannot be reclaimed, also made claims about who the ideal childhood is for. While marginalized children continue to experience disadvantage that inherently exposes them to risks daily, White, middle class children already have access to safer streets, both parent presence or unquestioned but appropriate parental absence, and play in the streets can be part of their everyday lives. We consider how the idealized childhoods produced by discourses of risk and nostalgia influence the materiality of children's outdoor play, including how children's time is organized and who gets to organize it, how play is experienced and who gets to experience it; in ideal ways, in ideal spaces, and for the ideal child.

show abstract

Mother and child constructions of risk in outdoor play

Cited by 33 publications

References 25 publications

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play

Children's active outdoor play: ‘good’ mothering and the organisation of children's free time

Risk, nostalgia and the production of the ideal childhood in online commentary on children’s outdoor play

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About