IS 9 TOO YOUNG??

[vicki2010]

Thought i would post here as it gets so much more traffic!

I have a 9 yr old ds (10 in oct) and feel the time has come to give him some freedom,he cant play out in the street as we live on a very busy main road but there is a lovely park/ponds opposite the house (i would have to escort there due to v awkward crossing) but the problem i have is that i wouldn't be able to see him and he doesn't have a mobile (another thread altogether!!) so what i want to know is, would you let your 9 yr old go out alone knowing you couldn't see them easily and they couldn't contact you easily,i mean i know i have to start sometime but just don't know when is the right time.

If i leave it too late he'll prob end up very un streetwise,if i let him too early..is he too vulnerable?

He's the sort of kid who will confidently go into a supermarket with a list and come out with everything on the list so has common sense iyswim.

Should i give him a mobile for park use????

So would ibu to let him out?

Why buy a mobile, we use walkie talkies for our children. Its cheaper to run and I know the range of the walkie talkie so know if they go out of range then they are not where they say they are. We started by letting them out for say an hour then they have to report back in. (making sure a watch is set to go off to let them know when to start walking home.) then bit by bit make the time longer. You ahve to trust tnm sooner or later esp if they have to catch a school bus by themselves whe they are 11 yrs old.....starting now and they will be independant and able to cope by themselves.....Its harder for the parents to let go and not worry.....the kids will know their own limits and soon return home if they are not happy.

stressedok what is the range of a walkie talkie?

A cheal payg moblie is much cheaper than a reliable walkie talkie.

Bettiboo just sew that umbilical cord right back on, that'll keep him in check.

Lordof the... believe me if I could sew that umbilical cord back on I bloody well would. It's just too sad when they start to grow away from our tight reigns. I could cry!!!!!!!

There are some lads who sit fishing near my house with walkie talkies. They live just over a mile away and the walkie talkies work great.

I let my 9yo DD go out to play with a friend. They know how far they are allowed to go (there's a small park nearby that's out of sight but easy to get to) and they're reasonably street-smart. I'm not sure I'd let my DD out on her own yet.

Much to her disgust, my DD's not going to get a mobile until she's starting at secondary school.

The ironic thing is by the time some kids are let out to play at the park, they are too blinking old! It's such a shame. 12 year olds won't want to play on swings