"Tai" wrote in
:

enigma wrote:
"Caledonia" wrote in
ups.com:


toypup wrote:
I wonder if most
parents of 4 yo these days drop off their kids on
playdates when they don't really know the other family?

When DD1 was 4 yo, the answer was no -- pretty much all
parents (or a parent) accompanied the child. (Some even
had a quiz sheet -- any firearms? dogs crated? etc.) When
I look at it from a 4 yo's perspective, it seems
reasonable to expect that the playdate child might feel
weirded out visiting another house alone also.

i know Boo wouldn't be comfortable visiting a friend
unaccompanied (he's 5).
i'd have to say i'd seriously reconsider inviting any kid
whose parents asked me if i had firearms (yes, i do. the
gun is in one place, the magazine is in another & the ammo
is in a third, all out of kid reach) & kept the dog crated
(no!). that's just too weird for me.
lee

Unless it was a farming community most people wouldn't even
think about whether there were firearms in the house - not
many people would have them here in Australia.

i am in a formerly rural, rapidly heading for suburbia, area.
i do farm. that's *why* we have guns. i like my chooks much
more than the fox...

Also, I don't understand the term "dog crated", what is
that? You surely don't mean it's to put the family dog in
it's travelling box while there are visiting children in
the home?

a lot of dog owners in the US seem to keep thier dogs locked
up in crates when they aren't home, or at night, or whenever
having a dog inconviences them... rather than actually
bothering to train the dog.
i do have a crate (several in fact, since i keep looking for
one that seems comfy to *me* g). i only put the dog in it at
night (ok, at night he goes there on his own actually) or,
very rarely, if everyone is going to out of the house for most
of the day & it's really cold weather out. he can get into a
shed from his run, but it's unheated & too big for his body
heat to warm. apparently he gets tired amusing himself inside
after 4-5 hours & gets into things. also, in case of fire, the
volunteer fire department knows where his crate is in the
house, so should something happen while i'm out, they know
where he is if he's not outside (they also know where my
tortoise cages are & that they are to be put into a *warm*
vehicle).
but there's no way i'm going to lock up my dog just because
there's some little friend visiting.
lee


--
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
1984-George Orwell