Do you believe that children should be actively supervised ALL THE TIME?

It all depends 'where' they are playing.
If in a Playground with other Children, then absolutely not.I have seen some pretty full on kids, with other's kids and some of them end up hurt.
Some even at 3 & 4 years hit, slap, bite...You must be there watching your own child.
If in your own backyard, and you know it is a safe environment, then mum or dad can let them play, while of course keeping an eye on them every few minutes.
I really don't myself like a child unsupervised at all, unless they are say 10 onwards.Even then,I feel these are very different times, to when I was younger.
You now have people who will take a child, even from the close proximity of the parent.
I think to be safe, watch your child.

by jonaja

Sorry mistake take out the 'not'.
Should read 'absolutely'
very sorry :(

I have two children. Almost 3 and 16 months. They often play without me being there to actively supervise them. But I always make sure I can hear them and tend to race in to check on them if things go quiet (or I hear a door opening that shouldn't be etc). Same when they are in the yard. It seems that they learn so much from just playing together without me hovering and the other day my daughter was telling me how she "gave the dude a big cuddle so he would be happy" when he was crying (probably cried because she pushed him over or stole whatever he was playing with...but that's another story!). I ALWAYS supervise them very closely when in public though or around cars or other "hazards".

by lizzi

When I think back to my own childhood, my favorite times were when I was unsupervised and allowed to "free range", so I try to give that same sense of freedom to my children - within reason of course.

by Lucy

It's sad to say but I wouldn't take my eyes off my chid outside these days. Inside is a different matter, but you can't keep kids inside all day! I used to go outside we the kids but do little jobs like hosing plants, hanging out washing, pulling weeds. That way it didn't seem like I was always "hive ring" but I could keep an eye on them. "Helicopter parent" I wasn't but I was never far away.

by Sandy Ludinski

It's not possible to supervise a child (even a toddler) every second of the day. I'm a stay at home mother and, like everybody else, sometimes I have to go to the toilet, or get myself a drink of water or whatever.

Beyond toddler age (so from four or five), I definitely think it's important for children to have opportunities to play unwatched. I'm thinking more at home though. In a public place I like to be if not actively playing with my children at least close by in case they need me.

by Jennifer Muirhead

Gosh, could you imagine if we supervised them all the time? We'd have no lives of our own. Houses would be in shambles. Dinner would be left undone. I don't want to think about it! Although I'm not sure at what age children should be left alone to 'sort things out for themselves', I don't believe they should be supervised all the time. Heck, is that even possible?

by Vee

I did believe that when my children were young as it was different then, however nowadays I do not think they should be left unsupervised.

This however depends on several things -their age, and whereabouts they are playing or whatever they are doing.

I know when I baby sit I am very nervous and also worry that the small ones will pull things on top of themselves or break my collectibles, so I tend to watch them all the time.

by Finy

I think in 2014 they should be supervised all the time. I (nowadays) would like to supervise children even in the schoolyard because the teachers certainly don't want to spend their time on yard duty. I feel very strongly about supervision whilst at school (during break times) and I cannot see that there is any reason school teachers can't do yard duty on a rotating roster one day a week. It only involves them not being in the staff room with their colleagues during their breaks. They take the attitude that they are teachers and not babysitters but they (some of them) don't mind putting their noses in children's lunch boxes and recommending their idea of "acceptable" food - like they would know.
Yes children unfortunately require a great amount of supervision these days.

by fran.

Yes. No. 28!

by donjo

I think you only have to pick up the newspaper these days to realise that kids need 24 hour supervision. Seems they are not safe at school, church, the scouts, the pool nowhere. Seems to me that there are opportunists everywhere,and you can't put an old head on young shoulders. These days, I don't know what I would tell a kid to be careful of or to watch out for. Nor whom they should be wary of. It is a very unsafe world, and OBVIOUSLY has been so for a long, long time. You just can't seem to trust ANYBODY.

by fran.