What age did YOU walk to school by yourself?

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Just interested how much things have changed.

I was 5 or 6 and that was in the early 1980s.

The risk may not be higher but the awareness of the risk is much higher.

The fact is that previously these things were things you heard about vaugly in an "urban myth" type style makin git seem like it only happened to other people. Also the general feeling was that it happened to people who didn't really look after their children properly. Now we are faced with the fact that it could be your child on the news, it happens to ordinary families who are jsut like the rest of us and it makes it much more real to everyone.

The other thingis that there is a massive amount more traffic than there used to be which has increased the risks beyond recognition.

Not sure if I ever went alone.
From 8-11 school was too far so we were driven
From 11 I caught a bus

I remember telling my Mum when he flashed at me and she just laughed and said 'poor bloke'. We really weren't scared at all but in all honesty I don't think there was anything to be scared of - it's only a part of the body and a world apart from actual abuse, depending on how it's handled by the parents I suppose.

There are statistically no more dangers to children from other humans out there than there ever were before. The only real increased risk is the volume of traffic and the speed it travels at.

Was catching bus with my friend from about 7 onwards.
From 5 her dad pt us on the bus (e worked near the school) and my Mum met us off - but we were on the bus on our own.

Mum walked with me on day 1 and then I walked alone. This was in the 60s . DDs have walked to school with friends since they were 9.

Probably 6 or 7 in the 1970s.

I don' know, I think we are just more aware of the risks, like S2t my sil thought it was criminal that we let ds walk to school by himself at 8, but it was a short walk and the only road had a lollipop man and he was with another couple of children so not a problem imo.
Although there was an incident when he walked himself back from middle school (he was about 9 or 10) when he came hairing through the door like a rocket, out of breath and obviously frightened. He said that a bloke had pulled up by him and his friend and told them to get in the car. He bolted (leaving his friend behind). We did later discover that the bloke was a cousin of said friend but, I was pleased that he had enough wits about him, not to get into a car with someone he didn't know.
Not sure this would have been the case if he'd been ferried to school from the off.

7

it was the 70's, we were 5 mins and only 1 road with grumpy lollipop man away and practically the entire street used to call for me on the way

my fear is far more about traffic than abduction but I do think some children are going to grow up with an attitude that they are incapable of walking anywhere because they've never done it and also having not street sense what so ever.

Yes would agree traffic is probably a major consideration too, probably far more so than stranger danger. Although here there are lollipop crossings on most of the roads leading to most of the schools. And the schools here run a fantastic road safety campaign in the local schools, they all have joined up road safety co-ordinators.

I walked to and from school with my older sister when I was aboout five or six. My Dad once passed us in the car and pulled over to have a word with us. After we had walked on, he was detained and questioned by an off-duty police officer who thought he was a stranger trying to entice us into his car.

I was 6 or 7 1969/70. It was quite a long walk involving crossing one main road and lots of smaller ones. As others have said it's the traffic rather than danger from other people that's the difference.

When I was a child our road had 2 or 3 cars parked up our end and about another half a dozen down the street. I went back there a couple of years ago and the parking is nose to tail both sides.

Although my mum once put us on a train on our own to go to grandmas (Portsmouth to Bath). I can't remember how old we were but certainly primary school (perhaps 8 and 6 or 9 and 7?). It was a direct line with no changes in a carriage with no corridors but I wouldn't have dreamed of doing that with my DCs.

Got a bus home from school (about half an hour) from the age of 11.

I used to walk to the school coach stop at primary school and often if we missed the coach on the way home we'd walk back - it didn't wait for us ! The walk back was from Mortlake to Kew if anyone knows that, crossing the S Circular at Chalker's Corner - obv. this was a long time ago, so not as busy as it is now, but we were still quite young. I would then walk back alkong the tow path from Chiswick bridge to Kew.

11, primary school was too far away. My walk to secondary school was about 40 minutes. this was during the 80's.

aged about 7. that would be around 1985, I vividly remember walking my reception age brother to school without my mum accompanying us.

I would never dream of letting ds1 take ds2 to school alone- but then again, I did not have a Dual Carriageway to navigate across.

From Reception. We lived 1 minute walk from school.

I walked from about 8, was a good 3/4 mile but only minor roads to cross.

The biggest change now I think is that other people won't help, and there are not the same number of people about who could keep an eye on children alone.

There are 3 concerns for me; traffic is by far the main one, then the remote possibility of abduction, and the risk of older kids being unkind.
However I am sure that 90% of people would not stop to help out a child who seemed to be in trouble, for fear of what might be said against them. Also, the more parents who do drive to school, the fewer there are who are walking home with kids, so the problem grows.

I suppose I am thinking more about going to the park alone, rather than walking home, but when I was a child there used to be park-keepers, adults in their gardens, general passers by, all of whom would take a friendly interest in anything going on. Now the streets and the parks seem empty, and what you get instead are dangerous and selfish drivers around the school gates.

Totally agree about the traffic worry but if we don't allow our children to negotiate these dangers for themselves they will never learn. I am not a fan of the cotton wool philosophy I'm afraid as I believe it does more harm than good, one of the reasons we were all safe is because we were all out, this is the problem and it's self perpetuating unfortunately.

If parents get together and agree a set of rules for the dcs to abide by then it works, it's what we've done and all the dds know that they are never to allow one to walk home alone even if they have a row or a fall out.

I feel that very often the biggest factor in this is parents worrying what other parents will think of them as opposed to looking at the real issue of how safe their children are.

Dusty do you really believe that most adults would not stop to help a child in trouble? I suppose it may depend on where you live but I think the majority of adults would still stop to help out regardless of having a few 'f' words flung in their face!

Wisteria, awhile back there was a case where a child was left injured in the middle of a road as people were too scared/busy/lazy/f*cked up to stop and help - it was reported on here I believe.

I am not a fan of cotton wool either, however, I do believe we make out own choices based on our experience and situation as to what is best for our children. If I lived inthe same area as the child in the road I would have to seriously re-evaluate my ideas on when to "release" my children!

I was 9 (1980's) and from what I can remember most of the children walked to/from school on their own. We also were allowed to play out on our own as long as we didn't stray too far from home.

I plan to give my DS' a similar degree of freedom.

7 or 8

About 7. Several minor and two majorish roads to cross but it was a reasonable distance - about 10 min walk