To let 9year old dd walk a mile through woods every day on her own to get to school?

[Ouluckyduck]

this question is currently being discussed on a German forum. Huss what the responses are.

we all had knives and played in the woods for hours when we were young, my mum was a hippy though. Fucked if i'd let dd do that!

For me it would be dependent on the individual child and their maturity alongside whether its a commonly used route or likely to be quiet at that time of day.

People should be more afraid to let their DC walk a mile through the city than the woods....yes...you MIGHT get a weirdo in the woods...but the city is FULL of them.

My sister lives in the most stunning and remote part of Wales ever...the nearest shop is 5 miles away....mountains, woods, streams...she's got it all and her kids aren't allowed out of the garden. What's the point of living in the countryside if it's just a view through a window?

Did they say as long as she takes some pebbles and a carving knife to a) find her way back and b) to kill the wolf and bring it back for their tea?

Kills two birds with one stone, dd walks home alone and brings home dinner

I'm shocked and appalled. I thought they were fully metric in Germany. All my illusions have been shattered. My aspirations for Britain are dashed. One mile, indeed...

If the Germans cannot live up to stereotype, and speak of 2.2 km, the British will never achieve it within my lifetime.

Anyway, are you going to answer the questions you've been asked, or link so that we can use google translator read for ourselves, or what?

I walk miles in the forest on my own and I was practically raised by wolves but no way would I let my 10 year old walk through on her own. Unreasonable? Perhaps. Too many awful stories in the news have made me fearful about things like that. I don't think I'd even feel comfortable if she were with a friend. A group, maybe.

I actually lived in Germany from the age of 7 until 10, we spent much of our time playing in the woods, the only thing to scared of was the wild boars and when the guard dog escaped from the scrap metal yard near by.

When we moved back to England whilst there were no woods near us we were allowed to walk across country trails to get to the beach about a mile away.

As a pp said I'd probably let my dc walk a mile on their own through woods than through a city centre.

The reason why you've started this thread, is presumably because the opinions, in your opinion, will shock British parents on MN.

I know next to nothing about Germany, but I know that it is common belief amongst the British, that present British culture is over-protective.

So

1. We will see evidence (in the form of some posts on the internet ) that reinforces British self-image. And we can self-flagellate.
2. We will see that we're less over-protective than the Germans.
3. We will see we're exactly the same.

I can't decide which would be most likely to cause you to make a thread. They're all pretty shocking ideas. I'm kind of leaning towards hypothesis 2, though. Hypothesis 1 is too predictable. 3 is too boring for a thread, unless you are trying to combat xenophobia.

Anyway, bed for me now. Will check here in morning.

Wood-carving: I had my first penknife whilst still a Brownie, and can remember whittling at Guides.

Only one DC has asked for a pen knife (I think he was about 8) and he got it.

I wouldn't but ds would see something to swing on/play with and never get to school! He's 7 and he plays out (park right in front) and goes to his friends alone round the corner but I ring and check he's got there ok and they walk him back if dark or I pick him up, we live in a rural area but the route to school is a main road to the coast so he won't be walking for a very long time!

Well, I wouldn't allow it.

Surely it would depend upon the area? I would wildly assume children in more rural areas wouldnt think twice about walking through the woods/playing in fields/on the beach and be brought up to be aware of dangers.

To put that in perspective: when someone gets swept out to sea, it's never a local - it's a tourist to the area. Ditto when some one goes up a mountail (generally ill clad and the mist comes in) its always a tourist - never a local who is aware of changing weather conditions.

So if I lived in the area and the children were brought up in the area then no, the woods wouldnt hold any dangers per se.

I wouldn't even do it myself at the age of 33. .

I wouldn't allow it, but then a girl was attacked in a small area of woodland near here only last year (and her attacker hasn't been caught yet). However if she was with others,or when it is very busy, such as when my big kids get out of senior school and walk through a small woodland patch, then it would be okay.
But I'd guess the Germans are all for it.
But then again I know how unsafe some places I walked as a teen really were, I was just lazy.

Sorry lazy=lucky.

I'm presuming the walk through the woods would be a familiar one, often walked with adults, and used by several of the DCs school friends, if so I wouldn't have a problem, but then my DS has been walking to school (3/4 mile, crossing lady on the one road) since he was 8.
I would recommend Tim Gill's book on childhood and risk to see how perceptions of risk (worldwide) shapes childhood experiences.

Both mine had penknives of their own at 10, but had handled and used edged tools under supervision from 6/7.
No, they didn't walk through woodland for a mile without at least one mate until they were older.

DD walked to school unaccompanied from 10 though, and that was about a mile, it's about the amount of people around at the time and the location we live in.

I wouldn't go myself at 40. Sometimes I even feel unnerved when walking the dog.

The idea that the city is more dangerous is true but with all those people there's plenty of others to help. In the woods there's often no one.

So I wouldn't. Maybe in Wales or Scotland if I lived in the middle of nowhere but not woods with large population centres near.

I am going to say the child will be encouraged to be independant and the knife will be given as a present on their 4th or 5th birthday. Can't decide.