Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

Would you let your 8 & 6 yr olds...

93 replies

SoupDragon · 31/05/2007 10:12

... walk to the post box along residential roads where it involves crossing the not-busy road. It's out of sight of the house, probably 3 minutes wlk there and 5 back (it's uphill )

I can't decide. If it didn't involve crossing the road I'd let them but they've not crossed a road alone before and I'm paranoid about it having been run over myself.

OP posts:
LadyTophamHatt · 31/05/2007 10:39

yes ds1 does that at road too.

He'll say "WAIT!!! theres a car coming"

I'll look and its a tiny dot on the horizon
Theres no way Ds1 would ever get run over at that rate!

Original poster
SoupDragon · 31/05/2007 10:41

The post doesn't actually get collected til 4:45pm anyway so we can all go later on. It's just raised the question about when they're Ok to go really and I was curious what others thought. I think they're borderline at the moment. If it didn't involve crossing the road, I'd kick them out in an instant, as it is I think training is required.

OP posts:
LadyTophamHatt · 31/05/2007 10:42

aha, I can't see them either Soupy my 2 big ds's will willingly grass on each other so I'd find out if they weren't sensible anyway.

drives me bloody mad the amount of snitching they do on each other....

MamaMaiasaura · 31/05/2007 10:42

No - when we did footsteps traing at ds's school was told that children cannot judge speed of cars till about 11-12 years. Ds is 7 and the woman said they see a car but cant judge how long it will tak to reach them which is why if we see a car on the road when tryingt o cross (even if is a way a way) we have to wait till it has passed. Will try and find link.

ChasingSquirrels · 31/05/2007 10:43

and meanwhile kick them out in the garden so they don't wake babydragon (don't tell me she is asleep in a room at the back...)

MamaMaiasaura · 31/05/2007 10:46

found a link to an australian article - trying to find uk one. Is to do with underdeveloped periphial vision.

here is the link and it is on page 4.

www.animafac.net/IMG/Fact_Sheet_2_-_Road_Safety_Young_Australians.pdf

Original poster
SoupDragon · 31/05/2007 10:47

Nope, she's in a nest in the big tree at the bottom of the garden

OP posts:
ahundredtimes · 31/05/2007 10:48

Ok soupy here is good plan I think. Wait for babydragon to wake up, then all go to the post box, but tell Ds's this is their Road Safety Test. Walk behind them, tell them you're watching them. Then you can shout and hurtle along pavement with pram if it goes pear-shaped.

soapbox · 31/05/2007 10:51

We let our 7yo do this for the first time at the weekend. DH walked to the corner with him and watched as he walked up hte road, checked for traffic and crossed. DH gave him a little nod when he checked it was safe to cross.

We're trying to build them up so that in the summer we let DD(9) and him go to the sweet shop which is around 500 metres away, with only one very small road to cross.

I'm finding it hard though to let go...

MamaMaiasaura · 31/05/2007 10:52

"This is achievable by providing children with the opportunity to undertake good cycle and/or pedestrian training through the County Council. This could increase their confidence on the road and make then more aware of safety issues and how to overcome them. However, the County Council does not recommend that children under the age of 10 cycle to school. This is based on research data which shows that children under the age of 10 do not have the ability to accurately judge speed and distance." from this link - "Look at this

cornsilk · 31/05/2007 10:54

If you thought they were sensible enough, then yes. I have a 6 and 9 yr old, but mine are a bit bonkers when they're together. Would let my 9 yr old definitely.

MamaMaiasaura · 31/05/2007 10:54

sorry if sounds like i am a safety nerd. Just live on a main road here and very careful. There are a fair few boy racers who hurtle down the road arond here.

sixlostmonkeys · 31/05/2007 10:55

I was told by a policeman who visits schools that children (up to the age of about 9 yrs) don't understand the consequences of being hit by a car. They do however understand the consequences of making Mum angry. His advice is to stress - if you cross that road or if you cross that road without looking I will be SO CROSS WITH YOU.

Could you tell a little fib and say that a lady who lives in a house near the road will be watching and will tell you if they are not sensible? I tell fibs like this and so far it's worked a treat.

soapbox · 31/05/2007 10:55

I think the point is, that on the kind of road I am talking about, and I imagine Soupie is talking about, there is no need to judge the speed of cars.

The children are told to just wait until the road is completely clear - i.e. no cars at all.

So no judging required

ernest · 31/05/2007 10:58

yes, I would

cat64 · 31/05/2007 11:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

notdoneyet · 31/05/2007 11:11

hi i let my 8yr old, go to the shop by herself for the first time in April, to get to the shop which is one street behind our house, she had to cross a road thankfully its not a busy road otherwise i wouldn't have let her out. I know and she knows that if anyone/thing was to happen there are about 10 houses she could knock on for help. she was only gone 10 minutes but i was on the door and even went to the end of our street (3houses away) to check if she was coming. although i didnt mention to her that i was looking, when she got back she told me she ended up talking to one of her friends who was in the shop, it was the longest 10 minutes of my life. but on the other hand she was so pleased she told everyone what she had done, and is very eager to go for me again. to be honest i am please i trusted her, although i wouldn't trust my 7yr old, she would be inclined to walk further away from where she was supposed to be going,

Twiglett · 31/05/2007 11:13

no they're too young

Twiglett · 31/05/2007 11:14

no they're too young

and you leave your kids in the house and go out in the car? ... what would happen if YOU had an accident?

Twiglett · 31/05/2007 11:18

OMG

have just scanned and seen a few people commenting on how 'its a quiet road'

quiet road are WORSE

because you get people racing down them

at a busy road, any child will stop because .. well its busy

but a quiet road .. there aren't any cars, they are used to there not being any cars .. that is when they are more likely to step out without looking properly / or run out without thinking

what are you thinking?

haggisaggis · 31/05/2007 11:18

A quiet, residential road??? Yes - they'll be fine! Kids in the estate at the bottom of our road cross such a road every day when they want to go to the playpark - and they usually start going out alone age 4!!
I didn't let ds out alone to the playpark until he was 6.5 (and then armed with his faithful walky talky!) - but I am in the minority!

Twiglett · 31/05/2007 11:22

lots of charts on child casualties from DTI

"80% of child pedestrian KSIs occurred away from pedestrian crossing facilities in 2005, compared with 67% of adults. 28% of these child casualties were masked from the driver's view by a parked or stationary vehicle, 33% were crossing from the driver's nearside and 18% from the driver's offside."

Twiglett · 31/05/2007 11:23
charliecat · 31/05/2007 11:26

When I was a kid my friend got knocked over ON THE ZEBRA CROSSING and was knocked 26 ft down the road from the Zebra crossing and her legs were broken in loads of places, she was in hospital for months and she had mental pins holding her legs together.
Straight road, but some twat came whizzing round the corner of a side street..obviously cant have seen her or something

MamaMaiasaura · 31/05/2007 11:26

I just asked ds he said he doesnt want to cross roads on his own yet and that he likes holding my hand. He also likes the lollypop man outstide his school.

I asked if he wants to go down the shop on his own.. his answer no.

He isnt a shy or nervous boy and when we go out say to the country park etc he isnt firmly attached to me. HE goes off and plays. As far i I can see he has got the whole of his teenage and adult life to be independent.. I dont want to rush him to be. He is only 7 after all.