DC out alone

[Inmydaywe]

If in the last few years: At what age did your children/grand children first go out alone. I mean local shop or friends house a few minutes away but out of sight?
Having a dilemma with DD who is 8. I don't want to hold her back but don't see many children her size out alone. I was going to the shops alone at her age, but that was 40 years ago. What do you think is appropriate these days? She's fairly mature and responsible.

All depends on the individual child and the area you live in. My ds has just started going to the shop with friends, he’s 10.

I mine were both 7. Small rural village in North Wales

I was walking to school alone from age 5. I’d take my little brother to nursery and then go on to the primary school. My mum would pick up my brother but I’d walk myself home. I’d stop at a corner sweet shop every Friday. But this was a tiny village with next to no cars.

Today, with more cars on road and more laws about unaccompanied children, I’d wait until age 8-10 depending on where they are going, the safety of the route etc. At least now you can give your child a cheap phone and talk/text them enroute.

It depends on your surroundings. Ours is an estate with pedestrian areas only so we're lucky. I don't let them cross roads. Apparently kids can't do this until they're 11 for scientific reasons (judging speed/distance).

I don’t understand this comment. If it was ok in the 80s, it’s ok now.

Thing is, if nobody let's their kids out, a child walking around alone seems more vulnerable. That's my feeling anyway.

If it was ok in the 80s, it’s ok now.

I don’t agree with this. In the 80s we did not have car seats or seatbelt laws. You could leave an 8yr old home alone babysitting three younger siblings. Times and laws have changed drastically in regards to safe guarding of children.

Mine don’t go out at all to play, they are 5 7 and 8 but we live in a main road in
London so no kids play out

At 8, my two could only go to their friends' house four doors down with no roads to cross.

DS (11) has recently been allowed to go to the park with the same friend (12) that's a 10-minute walk away and crosses a small street. He also crosses a larger road (that has a proper pedestrian crossing) to go to another friend's house.

I was off on my bike round the villages at his age, out for hours during the summer holidays. It's a different era now.

Oh, and we live in a city so parents tend to be cautious here.

When dd1 was little we lived in a village and all the kids went to school together. She was allowed to the park from about 6 so long as there was others to play with. You could see the entrance to the park from our front garden, but not into it. Dd2 was 6 and had just started to go out when we moved.

We moved into the near by town and she had a year of not going out alone as it wasn’t a suitable area. We then moved into our current house when she was 7, still in the town, but quieter area. She was allowed out around our small housing estate straight away and the following summer aged 8 she was allowed to the park, which is about 200m away, and out of sight, with her friends.

Now at 15 and 11 they can go where they like within reason.

I think it really depends where you live and who will be around.