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What worried you most when you first let your PFB walk home from school without you?

7 replies

lisbey · 02/02/2010 22:31

DS1 is 8

One night a week he goes to an after school club which finished at 4pm.

We live 5 mins from the school, across one fairly busy, but not fast road, which has a zebra crossing.

I have said he can walk home alone. I have threatened him that if I see him cross the road anywhere other than the crossing I'll be holding his hand all the way home until he's 15. So far he's used the crossing

Anyway, I've mentioned it a couple of people in the context of DS is really growing up and aren't I brave to let him and have been shocked how shocked people are. I really felt the road was the only proper risk and it's less so at 4pm than 3pm because there's far less traffic and I really do trust him to use the crossing and cross safely.

Everyone else seems convinced there's a bogeyman lurking to snatch him. What would you worry about?

OP posts:
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NotAPollyanna · 02/02/2010 22:33

Mine is too young to do this yet as we do live by horrifically busy roads but I really want to give her this idependence so well done you. But when I do it is the roads I will be most concerned about and the cars not seeing her. There are no more bogeymen about now than when I was a kid and walking home alone. Of course I will worry about it but I hope it will not be at the cost of my child learning some independence.

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southeastastra · 02/02/2010 22:34

same as everyone

it's great once they start going about on their own. even better when you can send them up the shops for essentials

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NonVinaigretteRien · 02/02/2010 22:37


I know just what you mean. You know your child, you know if he's responsible enough to cross the road on his own, yet there's still this nagging doubt... often based on what other people think.

Entirely depends on the 8 year old.

Personally I wouldn't trust DS (also 8) to cross the road, but then I know what a day dreamer he is.
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TheFirstLady · 02/02/2010 22:37

My main, and indeed only, worry has always been that they wouldn't use the crossings. It's a 10-15 min walk and there is one very busy junction with a pelican crossing and another busyish road with a zebra crossing. I let DD1 walk home alone at nine and DD2 a bit before that. DD3 is 7 but nowhere near trustworthy enough yet.

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Pinkglow · 03/02/2010 09:54

We used to live on the side of a really busy road so mum used to cross us over in the morning and then wait by the window after school so she would cross us back again. There was a zebra crossing a few minutes from where we lived which we could have used but I dont think my mum trusted the drivers on the road rather than not trusting us. We were about 8 when we did this.

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Merrylegs · 03/02/2010 09:59

I would def. say the road would be my biggest worry. I would trust my 9 yr old DD to cross a road at a zebra crossing alone BUT I would not let her do it with a friend as she is given to chatting and not concentrating and would be liable to walk out into the path of a car while mid-conversation.

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bentneckwine1 · 03/02/2010 11:01

My DS walked to school himself from about age 8...he has one road (similar sounding to yours lisbey) to cross. There are generally loads of children heading in the same direction and a lollypop person to cross them over to schoolgates.

However we had recently moved and DS had changed school. At the old school I would have walked him right up to primary seven as the situation was much more urban, school further away and roads major and accident prone.

You know your own child and the environment of the school and have made an informed decision based on that fact.

P.S. DS can leave the house at 8.57am and arrive at school on time. However he leaves school at 3.15pm and sometimes doesn't arrive home until 3.45pm!! It's like a Bermuda Triangle effect on the way home for DS and his friends...they dwadle down the road past each others house, say their goodbyes. Our house is last on the route so he take ages to get here!! But loves every minute of the independenece - is 10.5 now.

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