Would you allow a 6 year old to go out alone?

[tonari]

Almost 7.

To walk around the block with (very) small placid dog. Takes less than 5 mins.

Small, quiet village.

Absolutely not. What would happen if the child and very small placid dog encountered a large and aggressive dog on their walk? Although it is unlikely, what if they met someone who would want to harm a child?

Even in a quiet village I would be worried about cars/ other dogs/ what happens if the dog is spooked and runs off. Yes, predators exist (always have, alas) and this is a concern at the back of my mind. But my biggest worry with younger children is around road safety/ similar. If I would not leave them alone at home, then I would not be happy with them going out of sight of me/ another trusted adult.

I've explained this to my newly 7-year-old. Even if he follows all the rules of the road, not everyone driving does. Not everyone stops at the zebra crossing. They often pull up sharp when adults are crossing - many of these drivers (especially in taller SUV vehicles, or vans) do not see children, and if they are going to fast to begin with/ distracted by phones or whatever else it takes less than a second for them to seriously injure or kill a small child.

Not a risk I want to take.

This is different to playing out, within view of multiple adults and in the company of other children. Though living in a city, 6 is still too young to do this without some adult supervision. It might be easier if there's a big field / village green in front of your home.

Roblox is online and you can turn the chat option off. A child can be snatched or preyed on. I don’t think a 5 and 7 year old are sensible enough to be playing out. We as parents have to protect our children. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

Giving a child a sense of independence aged 6 !
I know you followed behind without him knowing, but what if your 6 year old decided one day to head off out himself whilst you were busy in kitchen , hanging out laundry , whatever , because this is something he can do, so why not 🤷🏻‍♀️..
6 years olds should never be left believe it’s ok for them to walk anywhere without an adult …

Yes they did, someone they knew and trusted and look what happened.

No. I have just sent my child to the local village shop (5 mins walk) on their own today have trialled this with a couple of their friends. My child is 10 and going into year 6 in September.

6 is incredibly young. There is no way I would allow a child of this age anywhere on their own

Yes I live in a 'nice' village/small town area.....there is a man goes around town and it has been detailed on a local page (he is easy to identify as he is quite unusual looking) that he is a convicted paedophile.He did time not long ago (not enough of course) for touching girls under the age of 13.So literally a real life threat to kids, right in the vicinity.
You never know who is about and many are opportunists.Its not worth the risk.

Again someone they trusted. Not a randomer who snatched them off the street

Any child should be brought up to know they don't go off somewhere without telling an adult first. Whether 6 or 11

I know it’s online, that was my point. We tend to overprotect children in the real world and under protect them online, assuming they’re safe because we know where they are yet allowing them to have access to an online world that is quite often not suitable for small children (not saying you do this, it’s a general observation)

So what age do you think kids should be allowed out to play unsupervised?

6 is a little too young for me, but I allowed DS out at 7 - so only one year older. That doesn’t mean he thinks it’s ok to walk out of the front door whenever he feels like it. It’s quite simple to explain to a sensible 7 year old - that they can play out but they must get permission first, that they do not leave the area they’re allowed in.
This holiday I have even had to suggest to him to see if there are any kids playing on the park (I can literally see it from my front window)
He comes in and out every ten mins or so to show me a stick he has found that he likes or tell me about a friend he has made. He checks in regularly and he’s perfectly safe. This is an excellent first step in teaching children age appropriate independence. We can’t wrap them in cotton wool until they’re 18 and then expect them to have the resilience they will need to deal with real world situations.

Yes , I understand what you are saying & obviously yes , every child like you say , regardless of whether they are 6 or 11 should always inform an adult if they want to go somewhere, point i’m making though is if a 6 year old is given the impression it is ok for him/ her to go for a walk alone , because they are only 6 years of age could get anything into their head & head off out, opposed to the child who never goes outside the front door without an adult, wouldn’t cross that child’s mind ….

Why is it any different at 10 then?

I will never change my view on 6/7/8 years olds being left outside without an adult being right, & I couldn’t give a sugar about the different scenarios ..
There is plenty of time between the ages of 11 & 18 to teach children resilience with regard to the real world ….

Why bother replying to me then if it’s not up for discussion?

Look you have your view & I have mine , I’d say neither of us will budge on what we think so , 🤷🏻‍♀️

You’re correct there

It's actually not.

Children benefit massively from unsupervised play outside and they get hardly any of it in modern Britain.

We might think we're keeping them safe by protecting them from the miniscule chance of stranger kidnap, but actually we're robbing them of the experiences which help them develop confidence and independence.

There's a reason that a child abduction makes the news- it's because it hardly ever happens. Children being exposed to dangerous content online, children becoming too anxious to leave the house or go to school, children becoming obese from lack of movement - those things don't make the news because they happen every day.

Yes I would

I don’t think @tonariever intended to return to engage. Almost as if just a discussion was required to mine views from.

A hard no from me.

Mine need to be aged 11/12 to walk a dog independently.

As for playing out, usually 7/8 years old. With set rules on where they are allowed. My 8 and 9 yo often go out together.

I live in Ireland , not Britain & if I lived in Timbuktu , I wouldn’t leave my child out unsupervised by an adult at 6/7/8 ! !
No one is saying they should be kept behind doors until they’re ready to get married fgs !!!
It’s what the appropriate age is , is what is being discussed here ….

I completely agree. We ship kids from one adult supervised activity to another, always a grown up there to direct play/activities/step in to resolve any conflicts. Kids never learn to do this themselves.
I think it builds confidence and resilience in them to allow them to navigate the world independently in an age appropriate way.

I mean I’ve seen posts on here about someone not ‘letting’ their 18 year old go travelling around Europe alone. We are teaching kids that the world is a scary place, and it can be. But it can also be bloody wonderful.