Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

Talking to a woman on the bus today....

60 replies

charliecat · 21/04/2006 12:14

...she was saying that she puts her dd on a bus at her house for her to get off a couple of stops later and then ride to her grans on her scooter. She 6.
She said the worlds no worse than it was when she was running about and it gives her dd confidence.
Couldnt do it myself.
Could you?
She said when do you then?
I said I thought when dd1, whos 8 was heading off to highschool, and that hopefully will be with friends.
Wonder how our kids will turn out, one so carefree and the other paranoid parent !!!

OP posts:
LadySherlockofLGJ · 21/04/2006 12:15

shudder

nutcracker · 21/04/2006 12:16

I certainly couldn't.

My mum lives over the back of my house so about a 5 min (if that) walk away but there is no way I'd let Dd1 (8) go on her own.

Perhaps when she is 10 i'll consider it.

schneebly · 21/04/2006 12:16

too young imo!

CHICagoMUM · 21/04/2006 12:17

No I couldn't do it either.

kama · 21/04/2006 12:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

starlover · 21/04/2006 12:18

i might.. would depend on the circumstances.

I used to use the bus a LOT, and knew all the busdrivers. and if it was just a few minutes and I knew the driver would keep an eye on her then yeah i might, and if grans house was literally just by the stop.

Original poster
charliecat · 21/04/2006 12:20

We got onto the conversation because I was saying your going to have a £33 quid a week bus bill when the little one starts school and she said she was planning on having the bigger dd taking the little one for her.
So that would be a 9 year old taking a 4 year old to school.

OP posts:
Original poster
charliecat · 21/04/2006 12:21

The bus stop near her grans in on a shrap bend, you have to take your life in your hands to cross the road. Then 2 mins away.

OP posts:
ggglimpopo · 21/04/2006 12:21

I watched ds (6) yesterday out of the window when he went to the neighbours to get his ball back. On a bus? Never!

alicemama · 21/04/2006 12:23

I used to go to nursery by myself but my dad was school caretaker so lived in school grounds!
no way would I let one out so young...
I shudder when I see children playing out at night, nowhere near their house and its gone 10pm!

Kelly1978 · 21/04/2006 12:28

no way. Maybe her dd has more sense, but I wouldn't trust my nearly 6yo or other people for her to get a bus alone.

twokids · 21/04/2006 12:37

my ds didn't go on his own till he was 11. if he went anywhere before it was in a group. 6 is way too youngShock

Kathy1972 · 21/04/2006 12:39

I saw plenty of children that young travelling alone by train when I was living in Germany and I certainly know 6 year olds who I would trust on the bus for a couple of stops.
No idea whether I will let my 10 month dd do it when she's that old though - will have to wait and see Grin

Greensleeves · 21/04/2006 12:45

I used to walk 2.5 miles to school when I was seven, crossing main roads etc, with my brother who was 9. I wouldn't allow one of my children to walk to the end of our street at that age! I can't see my allowing my kids on a bus unaccompaied until they are in their teens. But then, I am VERY cautious - one might say over-cautious - about anything to do with them.:)

FrannyandZooey · 21/04/2006 12:53

I was talking about this with my mum yesterday. She let my older sisters walk to school when they were 7 and 8, in the 60s. I walked to school when I was 9 in the 70s.

I was saying I hoped I would be able to let ds go to the park by himself (over one quiet road) when he was about 8, but it will of course depend how sensible he turns out to be. I think most of the danger these days is traffic. We have a large expanse of green space near us so I am hoping he can have some freedom there (busy public park) without worrying about crossing roads.

Caligula · 21/04/2006 12:55

She's right the world is no worse.

Except that there are more cars on the road and people are far more reluctant to get involved if something bad happens or even help children cross the road in case they're taken for paedophiles.

Also, thirty or more years ago if an unaccompanied child had an accident, it would simply be considered an accident. Nowadays it would probably be looked on as an act of neglect in letting the child be unaccompanied in the first place, and the parent would more than likely be sent to prison and any kids taken off her and put into care.

Wouldn't risk it myself.

CarolinaMooncup · 21/04/2006 12:55

so the traffic's no worse than 30 years ago?

Caligula · 21/04/2006 13:15

I'm not sure the traffic is "worse" - certainly there's more of it, but the fact that there's so much congestion has actually slowed traffic down at rush hour, which is probably a good thing for pedestrians.

The number of child pedestrians being killed on the road has been declining steadily over the last few years, afaik. In view of the fact that traffic has increased, you'd expect the numbers to go up, but I don't think that's happened - someone else might know?

Bugsy2 · 21/04/2006 13:16

I would trust my ds (6.5) to do what the lady on the bus describes, I would just be nervous that if something happened - I would be accused of neglect.
I caught the bus to school on my own every day when I was 4.5 and home again too.
I think we are much too overprotective these days and that we don't give children responsibility.

Kathy1972 · 21/04/2006 13:16

I think that's right, Caligula, but isn't there an argument that the reason why kids aren't getting killed is because they're not being allowed out of the house? Sad

KTeePee · 21/04/2006 13:18

My main reason for giving my kids less freedom than I had is the traffic. We used to play ball games ON the main road outside our house and walk to school with friends/older siblings from age 4/5 but I wouldn't let mine do it now

FairyMum · 21/04/2006 13:24

It depends where you live, on the child and if the child knows the area well. I think we are too over-protective these days. A 6 year-old should be able to catch the bus by herself IMO.

expatinscotland · 21/04/2006 13:29

No. Sorry, but the world's a much different place from when I was a young child 30+ years ago.

Bugsy2 · 21/04/2006 13:34

I think there is more traffic, I don't think people are so very different at all. The press, global communications and our insatiable appetite for a "bad" story make us paranoid - all in my opinion, of course.

Greensleeves · 21/04/2006 13:35

But Fairymum, you think a seven year old is old enough to be left at home by herself and allowed to use the oven unsupervised. That's a pretty minority view :)