Sadly, so true. I was playing with the neighborhood kids, unsupervised, from first grade on. There's no way I can let my kids do that--we don't live in a ghetto but we have a few prostitues (which means johns, which means drugs...). Once the weather hits the 50s, I take the kids out for a walk every single day, at least a half-mile, usually more. Josh, at seven, would rather be staying at home learning computer programming but I'm going gestapo on that this year. His weight is okay but he's leaning toward heavy and he is NOT physically fit. No muscle tone whatever, gets winded very easily, etc. He threw a fit nearly every time I took him for a walk last summer but he always ended up enjoying himself. He is learning how to identify all kinds of things: Trees, birds, architecture...once I get him out, moving around, and looking at things he doesn't even realize he's getting some much needed exercise. The older he gets the more challenging it will become. A lot of my neighbors don't have a problem letting their kids run loose and I know Josh won't want Mom tagging along. All I can do is tell myself "Do you want a slightly resentful child or an Amber Alert?" Easy choice.