AIBU to tell my neighbour’s Year 6 child to stop walking to school with us?

Why do people always go on about community when it benefits a CF? Why doesn't the neighbour have the courtesy to reach out to the OP and ask rather than railroading her into a favour?

I can’t believe you object to a child walking with you. Don’t be so bloody mean!

What happened to community?! Why don’t you reach out to the parents? I would be interested to understand more about this treacherous journey to the school which makes it such high stakes for you to have another child walk with you?!

The thing that stands out to me is “public foot path”. That child has every right to walk to school on it. Either talk to the child’s parents or drive your kids to school. Stop whinging and do something.

But when my DD was that age the kids were allowed to walk alone to school. And we lived halfway down the hill so they'd join her as we left house. I wasn't a childminder If we weren't going to school they'd just walk anyway

She was always very socialble

We don’t collect anyone they’re all with their own parents to be honest they might start talking but their parents are there not expected me to be an unpaid childminder

I had an issue in our old house where the neighbours kids kept knocking to ask to come and play but ring doorbell soon sorted that out !!

But that's not what I was talking about is it? I was speaking of my DD collecting friends on our wkj

Some randome kid was tagging along on my school runs

If what was happening to you?

It also mentions this child is in year 6, what
does his mother think is going to happen to get him to secondary??

If this was happening to me I’d be round to the neighbour telling them and I can’t see why op hasn’t done this to be honest

What a bunch of horrible replies. No wonder this society is doing down the toilet. Such hostility and lack of compassion. Could it be that he may come from a negligent family? It’s not like you’re expected to clothe and feed him …just simply to let him walk with you. It that really so offensive?

Yeh of course it's natural. But some of the women on here seem to only want themselves and their kids walking. No one else. My DD1 collected hordes of friends walking with us en route to school from year 4, which meant she was 8. So same age as OPs eldest

But that’s natural procession as they get older to be with their friends
it is not normal for some randome kid to be hanging on and I’d be nipping this in the bud straight away!

It still takes away from the " precious family time " though

That's not the issue though. If what the boy's mum said is true, she is the one with no community spirit as she has never even spoken to this family, yet is telling her boy to stick with them everyday on the walk for safety.
I would be quite concerned if I had been nominated in a childs eyes as a safe person and had not been told, whilst also having my attention taken up with watching my own two, especially if they are younger and definitely need to be supervised as in the OP's case.
We also don't know what this walk is like - I don't think the OP came back. Five minutes through a quiet estate? Ten minutes along busy main roads and with several crossings? We have no reference.
Where I live there's loads of community spirit, but as I say, I'd expect someone to at least ask me if they wanted me to keep an eye on their child, especially if they intended this to be a daily occurence.

If it’s their own mates it’s not some randome hanger on tho is it??

Why wouldn't it be an issue if it's cutting into your " precious family " time

The CF neighbour is the thing that would piss me off, not the poor child. I'd want to make a point about that to be honest, but I'd talk to the neighbour and not the child. The point is, I probably wouldn't have an issue with this if my neighbour asked me in advance so I could check with my own children that they were ok with it. It would give me an opportunity to say "there may be times when it's not possible, so I'll let you know when that's the case". Adults offloading their own children to other adults with no prior agreement really annoys me. Dd has a friend who is always roaming around on her own. We have no relationship with the parents whatsoever, but because we feel responsible for her, we end up running her home because it's getting dark, or making her dinner because it gets to 6 and she's not heard from them. They literally give her the green light to go out wherever and whenever without checking who she's with and making arrangements. There was a man wandering around and randomly talking to young girls a couple of months ago, asking them how old they were. Still no sign of her parents to ensure her safety, so we became her responsible adults.

I wouldn't like it - I wanted to talk to my own kids on the way to and from school, not mind someone else's! I think that if it's 'too dangerous' for a year 6 child to walk alone, then one of his lazy arse parents should take him!
It's also rude af to not actually ask you if this is okay.

Start driving to school for a couple of weeks or leave earlier/later, to break the habit.

No, by that time they either go together without me or if it’s a genuine friend they want to walk with it wouldnt be an issue would it?

What will you do when your kids want to chat to their own mates on the way to school rather than chatting to you. Cry and sulk?

This. Neither me or my children for that matter would want this. This is our time and I don’t want some random invading our space and taking our time.
And people saying “it’s your child’s friend”. No OP didn’t say that. She said they sometimes play together. That doesn’t mean they are friends. My kids will be friendly with and play with plenty of kids, but don’t consider them friends, and would feel very uncomfortable having to walk with them to school

The cheek of the other parents would be my problem. Expecting someone ( without ever asking ) to make sure their child gets to school safely whilst tbey have their own younger kids to look after. Your child is YOUR responsibility. Very odd behaviour from these parents.

How sad. Everyone complains that communities are dying and there’s no “village” anymore to support parents, and then people go along and encourage you to prevent a child, who’s old enough to walk to school alone and who is friends with your children, from walking next to you on a public footpath. Lord almighty. Like a pp said, just tell the child to make sure his/her mum knows you won’t always be walking to school, but if you are, then what’s the problem?