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## Protecting a child! How hard can that be?
We as parents can sometimes be guilty of over protection, of cause we are they are your most valued things in life ain't they. But what if we are too overprotective, is that still OK. For some people it maybe down to a matter of bad experience's in their past that has made them that way or they have reasons to be overprotective based on many other factors like for example their environment they live in may be dangerous so they maybe a valid reason to overprotect and i'm sure they are many other reasons that over protection is a nasality to peoples live. But when is it too much and are we harming our children by being overprotective. 
When i was a child i would be outside playing with my friends from sunset till the time my mother would shout across the estate like a wolf howling for their cubs **"Stephen, in now"**. See her rule was _"I want you in when the street lights come on"_  and most of the time i pushed the boundaries of this rule and got a slap on the head as i snook through the door. That was years ago now and times have changed.

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## The modern child ##
In today's society we are a world of digital media and social networking, so children may never leave their homes to be able to do what we as children had to venture out to achieve. Homework has become a breeze with the endless halls of information we have today online. We would have to go to local library's  or read encyclopedia's on the hope that what we where looking for maybe referenced in that book.  Now one word in google and its most likely the first result.
My daughter had her first iPad at the age of 2, playing games and learning apps. Now she is 7 and messages or face time's her friend who by the way only lives next door. We played Curby ; hide and seek ,football , tags , ran to the local park, Jumped in puddles, played on construction sites, climbed roofs, walked on walls, need i go on. what i'm saying is as children we faced many dangers everyday and we did not care that is what we classed as fun. 
A trip to your local fast food restaurant was classed as a treat, now its more of a necessity and child expect it.
Take a trip back in time yourself and think of how we as children differ from the modern child and you will find yourself saying that one phrase that as a child would make you cringe _**"When i was a child"**_.

## So how hard is protecting today's children ##
Well take my 12 year old son, he has disability's one of them being Dyspraxia which can make it difficult to judge distance so crossing a road safely is a huge worry we have as parents. While he spends 98% of he's free time playing games consoles or watching TV there is always that 2% where he needs to venture outside and its at that point where to alarm bells ring so loud and the iron gates slam shut. But ask yourself, why would you not let a 12 year old child go outside, i was outside at half of that age and my mother would force me out what ever the weather. Thing is so was he. Before we knew of his disability i would do just the same with him hoping that he would build up strong socialism with the people around him and at first that was working until later that same week, while crossing a road he misjudged how much time he had to cross safely and panicked and ran tripping over the curb on the other side resulting in a broken leg.
We never let him go out for along time after that.
His disability already creates barriers to engagement but now we realise we have created just as many by being to over protective and also allowing modern times swallow our children. We basically have to let our children face so risks in life in order for them to learn for themselves.
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## virtual leash ##
How as parents can we use today's modern world to keep our children safe?
Well as well as the disadvantageous technology have on our children of today their are also great advantages like GPS systems and they are many cheap and easy to use devices that your child can keep with them when venturing far from home or going to after school activity's so you can see where they are if need be.
Many mobile phones have apps have these capability's like find my phone but rely heavily on network connection.
I have this installed on my children's phones for 2 reason's,  One mugging crimes has rising in the past 2 decades due to rise's in mobile phones and often enough its your phone they want so i can track that phone if that was to happen and secondly so if my child does not return home or phones and says they are in trouble i can track their location and respond fast. 
There are many more technological inventions that today's world has that will keep your child safe and that maybe a post of its own but you can search yourself in the meantime and see.
But lets all remember that we need to allow our children to create a life of their own so yes let them venture away but use a virtual leash how ever you choose to implement.