to let my 9 and 7 year old play at the park on their own??

[alfiesmadmother]

The park is 5 mins from home, both my sons are sensible and they are desperate to get to the park, my DH is notoriously over protective so I can't gain perspective.

On the one hand they will enjoy the freedom. On the other I keep imagining them being kidnapped.

WWYD??

The baby is in bed BTW

I let mine go to the park opposite our house. They are 9 & 7 and have been going for a while now. No problems.

I guess it depends where you live, we live in a village setting but not isolated and we live away from the main road. There are people always around but it is not busy busy. Guess it depends on how comfortable you are in your surroundings.

My DS smashed his head once when I was there at the park.

IN the end both DSs were in and out all day. They were comfortable and so was I.

I think it depends on where you live

My 7 year old DD has been going out to the park since last summer (when she was 6).

However, I do live in a little village, and the swings are on our estate, set back from the road. Here, there is a culture of giving the children freedom and lots do go out to play in the street. It is lovely. If I allowed it, her school would even take her on a school french exchange in year 4! I do have lots of strict rules though.

1. She takes an old £10 phone with her. Any problems or deviations, she must phone me immediately.

1. She goes with a friend and comes home with that same friend. (did have a few issues last year when friend then went off to somewhere DD was not allowed to go, leaving DD at park alone - hence the phone. was pleased that she didn't go with them though).

1. We have an agreed time that she must come home by.

The park is well off the street, so very unlikely that she would be bundled into a car. Any problems, she has the ability to contact me (and strict instructions to do so). Any breaches of this, and she is not allowed out again until she regains trust. We give her relatively speaking, quite a lot of freedom, but then come down hard if she breaks it. Not surprisingly, she is very keen to keep her freedom, and so is exceptionally good at coming home on time / doing as asked etc on these occasions. Honestly, you wouldn't believe it is the same child sometimes.

So was i playing out at 7 yrs, on a bike, in the woods, down the road. 7 & 9 is fine i think. If they stick together and you know where they are. . .just make it plain to them how important it is to come straight home if a stranger with no kids starts talking to them. also tell them to stay in the park and not wander off anywhere else. Also 20 mins at a time and then report home. . .(a watch would be handy)
I live in the centre of town and leave my 10 yr old in the house watching TV whilst i pop out for half an hour. . .but i have my mobile and always ring him every 15 mins.