Kaytee

My brothers use to hang out at skate parks and yes some of the kids there are well.. not the best behaved kids. But others are fine. I would be more concerned of her age, she is really young to be out unsupervised in my opinion.

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jtee

This particular park is well monitored by parents; it's not just a skateboard park. About 10 years ago there was a growing problem and parents did start avoiding going there with their children, but the community got together and now even if high school students are seen so much as smoking there the police will chase them out. If middle school students are caught smoking or doing anything consider inappropriate for their age, the police will contact their parents. Basically now kids know that the park is not a place to be doing things they don't want their parents to know about.

This is the first year where her social circle of friends has started to grow beyond her immediate classmates. Until now interacting with older kids has been limited mainly to older siblings of her friends with parents in the home or with girls she know from gymnastics.

FooserX

Nice park.

Still gotta give the thumbs down on this one!

FooserX

Maybe you could compromise.

You and your wife could go have a small picnic on the other side of the park, or you could go walk a few laps around it for exercise.

Then, you could keep an eye on things...see who she's hanging with, where she gravitates to, etc.

fallon

I think that's a good idea fooser, even if only one of you could at that time...kinda stay out of sight... but that would give you and your wife a chance to see for yourself if that's a good environment for your dd

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Kaytee

yep agreeing with Fooser. To me 11 is just too young to be alone with friends

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jtee

We are familiar with the park and have gone there many times it is a very safe place for kids to be and parents in general feel OK about letting their kids go there often with groups of other kids, such as boys wanting to play football, soccer, basketball, etc. During little League season, the place is full of parents\adults nearly all day either with games or practice. There is 4 baseball fields.

Our daughter has been around the skateboard area in the past watching the older kids either with us, or with friends' parents somewhere nearby. The difference is that this year she's being invited\encouraged to come and be part of the social group by older middle school students she has met already this year. Last year, she was just some unknown little girl watching off to the side (they probably never noticed her or her friends), this year she is now a cute 6th grader a few of the boys want to flirt with her and her friends after school. Somewhat like what happens with incoming freshmen girls in high school, except we are talking about a public park and just flirting, not a high school party with that might involve alcohol\drugs\etc.

We are just trying to come up with a set of conditions that we feel comfortable with.

Kaytee

only you know what you feel comfortable with. I don't know if I would feel comfortable with her there by herself with her past. NOt that her past shows everything about what she will do now. But it should definately be a consideration

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FooserX

>>>I don't know if I would feel comfortable with her there by herself with her past.

I'm glad you said, because I was biting my tongue!

Jtee, you sure like to make the case that the park is so innocent, and the kids are all good kids with cops around to make sure everything stays in order....but the fact is, cops are not parents or baby sitters. They aren't going to pick up on things if kids want to mess around, and they certainly aren't going to sit in on conversations to see what is, or isn't, appropriate for kids.

Even if my kid didn't have a sexual past at 11, I would still not let he/she go alone. Kid cliques hanging out is just the beginning of trouble.

jtee

Yes our daughter experience with sex is a concern, yet her motivations at the moment are not to link up with a boy for a sexual encounter. She's motivated by her interest in being with her friends and doing what they are doing.

What is hard for us to judge right now is how much if this is pretty normal behavior between 6th grader girls and 7th - 8th grade boys. Maybe I should say I'm more Leary, my wife says it is pretty typical behavior. What we are both concerned about is that our daughter is very comfortable with herself in a general way, and that is already attracting her fair share of boys just being friendly herself. She likes the positive attention the boys are giving her at school, and they want her and other girls come socialize with them at the park after school. It is what kids her age do around here and she wants to be part of it. It very exciting for her because it all new and very different from what school was like last year. Last year these same boys never noticed her when she was there, now they notice her, talk to her at school, and are encouraging her and other girls to come to the park after school.