Missing and lost children - Assignment Example

One young boy ran all the way back to the administrative centre and was followed by his exasperated parents who issued even more threats. The parents came back with their errant child who then began to approach a lion cage and was only dissuaded from moving further by a stern warden. Moreover, the two couples whose children constantly ‘escaped’ would always follow after their children. One of the other families, which had three young children, moved in an orderly manner; viewing different animals in the zoo.

It was easy to notice them because they were getting a lot of stares from passersby. It is only when the mother moved slowly away that I noticed that her son and daughter were attached to her by teddy-bear shaped ‘reins’. It was obvious that many people disapproved of her method to keep her children by her side in a public place. However, her children did not seem to mind. They pointed to different animals and peppered their mother with questions about the animals they were seeing. I also noticed that they did not seem to be chaffing against the restraints.

It appeared like they were quite accustomed to being attached to their parents in public places. When the children wished to see an animal on the far side of the zoo, they were tug and beg their mother to move so that they could go to that area. The two remaining couples appeared to believe in strict parenting. They literarily held the hands of their young children as they moved through the zoo. Their children did not appear to be interested in any particular animal but seemed to be quite embarrassed by the fact that their parents were holding their hands.

The parents were the ones who determined which pens they would visit. One of the fathers actually appeared to be studying the animals as he was holding a paper and pen and appeared to be taking notes while his wife held two of their children by hand and spoke insistently to the third quite often. The Care-Giving I feel that each of the five couples were trying in their own ways to deal with unruly young children who were excited at the prospect of being in an stimulating public place. I feel that the couple that had their children in reins was showing the most responsibility.

While many people might have felt that she was going too far in trying to restrain her children from running all over the zoo, it was obvious that her children did not see the situation in this way. They happily engaged their parents in speaking about the different animals and nagged them to go the pens that were particularly interesting to them. The two couples that allowed their children to race about the zoo were the most exasperating. I literarily saw other people pointing out to the couples where their children had fled to in an effort to encourage them to watch over their children better.

Even without the aspect of being in the midst of throngs of people being considered, zoos in themselves can be dangerous places for children (Barker & Tamara-Hodes, 2007). One of the children actually ignored his parents’ warnings and had to be stopped by a warden when he charged towards a lion’s cage. With such rambunctious children, it is important to have definite rules that will stop them from endangering themselves (Flynn & Starns, 2004). This should not be viewed by parents as being the responsibility of other people such as the officials in public places (Kay, 2003).

Moreover, it has to be said that in one of the couples, the mother appeared to be helpless to