34
have been stolen. The games thus organize
lectively, these studies suggest that children from
a kind of physical contact that would not be
middle-class communities generally participate
permissible under other circumstances and
in structured and pre-set activities, with few
would be seen as a serious attack. They shift
signs of spontaneous play in public spaces.
the borders of the acceptable and of vulnerability. While hitting, kicking, and so on are
Cosco and Moore’s (2002: 41) observations of
prohibited under normal circumstances,
children in middle-class areas in Buenos Aries
in play anything goes, as long as it does not
note:
really hurt (Kelle 2000: 180). Children live in high-rise apartment buildSocio-economic status
ings with little chance to get outside to play
The relationship between children’s autono-
freely. These children’s time is over-occu-
mous movement in public space and family
pied, as they attend school from 8.00 am to
socio-economic and cultural resources is
5.00 pm and then take classes in computer
another significant variable influencing chil-
skills, martial arts, English and sports. On
dren’s spatial patterns (Rissotto and Giuliani
the week-end they participate in pro-
2006). Socio-economic status impacts on every
grammes at private clubs.
aspect of children’s spatial positioning; it determines locations of family life and avail-
Disability
able community resources and, when combined
Equally, research suggests that attitudinal and
with dominant constructs of childhood, has a
physical barriers severely compromise disabled
considerable influence on children’s ability to
children’s opportunity to appropriate time–
find their own time–spaces.
space for play. Research in the UK notes that disabled children’s everyday lives are subject
A general pattern suggests that there is increas-
to constant adult surveillance and attendance,
ing ‘timetabling’ of middle-class children’s free
which significantly affects their ability to
time (Lareau 2000, Tomanovic 2004, Sutton et
develop clandestine use of space, both in the
al. 2007, Vincent and Ball 2007), while children
organised spatial productions of school and
from lower social-economic backgrounds have
informally (Economic and Social Research
less structured free-time and greater opportuni-
Council 2000). Interviews with disabled children
ties to create time–space for play with peers in
indicate that most were aware of the ways in
their local neighbourhoods (Reay and Lucey
which adults attempted to order their lives, and
2000, Tomanovic 2004). This pattern is not con-
where possible children resisted adult notions
fined to affluent industrialised countries; there
of dependency and care. When asked if adults
seems to be a similar picture in urbanised areas
always did things for her, one child commented,
in the majority world (Bannerjee and Driskell
“they’re always doing it, it’s really annoying.
2002, Gosso et al. 2007, Goncu et al. 2009). Col-
But I try to get my own back on them by doing