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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

walking to school

49 replies

Rhianaroo · 10/01/2011 22:01

Would you let your 6.5 yr old walk home from school alone with no roads and just a 5-10 min walk along a footpath? Most parents here don't but my dd is keen to and is sensible. It's a busy footpath at home time.What do you think?

OP posts:

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Tryharder · 10/01/2011 22:04

Hmm. I probably wouldn't but then again, at that age, I walked to and from school myself and across busy roads as well.

If she is keen to try and you to let her then is there not another mother who also walks that way could keep an eye on her.

princessProudmel · 10/01/2011 22:07

6.5??

Are you joking?
If you are serious, no I wouldn't.

Original poster

Rhianaroo · 10/01/2011 22:10

My neighbour goes down for her dd so she would but I don't like to give her the responsibility. Surprisingly my mum thinks it's ridiculous that the 7-8 year olds still get walked home too. I thought she would have been the opposite but then as you say we walked ourselves at 5 and it was further away. At what age would you let her?

OP posts:

Snorbs · 10/01/2011 22:13

Not at six and a half.

As an aside, my DD's school doesn't allow any KS1 child out of the classroom door without a parent/guardian being there to collect them.

princessProudmel · 10/01/2011 22:17

I might think about it at 10.

princessProudmel · 10/01/2011 22:21

Snorbs, you're in my neck of the woods. That's all!

Original poster

Rhianaroo · 10/01/2011 22:22

The school didn't let them in primary one but don't seem to mind now. My mum's a teacher and she told me that the Head Teacher at her school had got fed up of so many parents waiting in the playground that she went out and encouraged them not to collect their children! That seems a bit irresponsible.

OP posts:

Smithagain · 10/01/2011 22:27

Not at 6.5. Maybe at 7. Probably at 8.

DD1 is 8 now and I think she'd be absolutely fine walking home and would be able to make a reasonably sensible decision about what to do if something went wrong. At 6.5, she might have been OK 90% of the time, but would have panicked if there was a problem.

Original poster

Rhianaroo · 10/01/2011 22:31

DD will be 7 in May. I thought maybe in Aug I could start meeting her halfway. It really is just a footpath between housing estates and is full of parents and children coming home too. She would know a lot of them.

OP posts:

neuroticwhome · 10/01/2011 22:35

I may be naive in getting drawn in here, if this is a joke thread, but feel i have to give my opinion just in case you are actually serious. I think it would be unsafe, irresponsible and frankly neglectful. I would be stunned/horrified if the school encouraged this. If lots of people on here thought it was a good idea, would you actually take the risk and let your 6 year old walk home alone? Do you ever watch the news? It is your job as a mother to ensure that she is safe.

princessProudmel · 10/01/2011 22:58

Also , why would you not want to collect her?
I like doing the school run. Apart from enjoying seeing my children, I like chatting to the other parents and having an involvment in the school. Also it's exercise , fresh air and gives structure to the day.

cory · 11/01/2011 07:56

I let mine walk home from 9.

gorionine · 11/01/2011 08:06

I let my Dcs go on their own to the shops (1 road to cross) from the age of 7, it is a 3 minutes walk. I made sure to tell them exactly were they should cross (visibility) and it was fine. Ds3 is 6 1/2 and he really is looking foreward to be 7!

Sometimes on the way back from school he does the second half " almost on his own" as he is faster than me and DD4, no road to cross and about 10 minutes but I am not too far behind. I will not let him go "solo" for 10 minutes until 8, possibly 9yo.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 11/01/2011 08:11

That's a slight over reaction don't you think neurotic whore?
My DD will hopefully be walking herself to school next year. She will be 10 by then so responsible enough.
When we lived in Switzerland, she would walk down to the main road on her own to meet her school bus. Does that make me a bad mum? She was six then.

bronze · 11/01/2011 08:18

Depends on the child. Ds1 I might have, ds2 no.

But then I am obviously incredibly irresponsible giving a child who can cope with it responsibility. Yes I watch the news, the biggest bit lately involved a 25 year old.
Moot for me anyway because I stick my 3 children ona bus on their own and one of them is shock horror 4!

DooinMeCleanin · 11/01/2011 08:21

No I wouldn't, but I know a trainee social worker who does

dd1 is 7 and is not responsible enough yet. Maybe when she is 9.

Tee2072 · 11/01/2011 08:23

Depends on the child. it's your child, if you think she's ready, then let her.

I too walked to school every day from the time I was about 6.5, or 1st Grade in the US. And that was across a busy street with no lights and no crossing guard of any kind.

Gipfeli · 11/01/2011 08:26

Yes absolutely. ds (6 and three quarters as he is keen to point out) walks to school by himself which includes using a pedestrian crossing to cross over a crossroads right outside school.

neuroticwhome · 11/01/2011 10:12

Kreecher You've either read the name wrong, or you are the one over-reacting.

OP asked what people think, so I said what I think. It's not only about the intrinsic responsibility of very young children, its also about other people/dangers (including the sort of people who attack 25 year olds bronze). Young children cannot physically defend themselves against the sort of dangers that their parents can protect them from.

Whenever, you hear a story or a child (or two together) going missing (nearly always under 10), they have never been snatched from their parents, or another responsible adult, but rather were walking home alone or with other young friends, or playing out without an adult. It may only happen rarely, but it does happen. I know 100% that it could not happen to my children. It saddens me that other parents settle for just thinking, or rather hoping, their young children will get to and from school safely. The school run is such a basic element of care that parents of school age children carry out.

I'm obviously not going to change the minds of some people, but I still do think it's irresponsible.

tomhardyismydh · 11/01/2011 10:20

no way and im sure the school would not allow it either.

tomhardyismydh · 11/01/2011 10:23

there was an incident close to where I lived where a man stopped along side a woman and her 9 year old dd and attempted to snatch the child. the mother had to fight this man off as he turned his back on her with the girl in his clutches to get her in the car.

DilysPrice · 11/01/2011 10:25

Absolutely not (but my DS is that age and I (and his teachers) wouldn't trust him to walk up the stairs to his classroom without getting into trouble).

kreecherlivesupstairs · 11/01/2011 10:26

Apologies neurotic, I stand by my statement though.

OnlyMeUK · 11/01/2011 10:26

Our area has loads of kids of primary school age, one road to cross with a very nice lollipop lady working on a zebra crossing.

Most people (us included) seem to let their children (it seems to always be the DCs choice BTW), at about Year 5. So that would be around 8-9 years old.

Unless DC is walking with a sibling, or a group of children, then I'd probably put it off for a year or two. How about walking part way with DC and letting them finish the journey in your sight IYSWIM?

kreecherlivesupstairs · 11/01/2011 10:27

and I would like to add for good measure, there are never any reports about the number of children who do walk on their own and don't meet any sort of trouble.

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