What age did you let your dc 'play out'?

[moomoob]

2 ds 7 (almost 8) & 5. We live in a terraced street not on a main road but occasionally can have cars whizzing up & down the street. There is a park opposite however the play area is the other end of the park. I feel like my kids need to be out more instead of being cooped up in the house on the ipad, we only have a small yard which they get bored of very easily. I let ds1 go onto the playing fields opposite the other day kicking his football he had to keep coming back every 5-10min to let me know he was ok crossing the street each time. I stood in the window watching him the whole time obviously this is not practical if he's going to play out more. Does there ever come a day when you feel it's ok to let them go or do you simply have to put your heart in your mouth & let them get on with it?
When I was their age I played out in my street all day on my bike etc but things seem a lot different nowadays were much more aware of 'bad men' or has it always been that way & I was just niave to it as a kid?
Sorry for the rant just after others opinions at what point do I need to give them some independence? How do you cope with the worry about wondering where they are?

My 7 yr old and 5 ur old play out. We live on a cul de sac that faces a v safe and enclosed grass play area. They are only allowed there or in a neighbours house. The kids are all in and out of each other's houses. It's like the 70's and I love that my kids can play like this.

I would feel more confident about the 8 year old than the 5 year old playing out. Apparently children are incapable of judging the speed of oncoming traffic accurately before the age of about 8. I think it is a lot of responsibility to ask your 8 year old to keep your 5 year old safe and unfair to expect that of him.

Are there other children they could play out with? 'Safety in numbers'. My ds 5 plays out with neighbours but again we live in a cul de sac. There's always been a range of ages from 3-7 at their youngest. Normally one parent keeps an eye or ear out and they're quick to tell tales on each other!
Could you not all go to the park?

We do all go on the park for maybe an hour or so but that's only a small amount of time of the day (I'm thinking school holiday times) I've got a newborn too so not practical to be stood on a park all day. I think if I lived in a cul De sac I'd have no hesitation to kick them out playing all day. Ds1 is very sensible & I trust him to come home when he's told cross the road etc ds2 Is a different story he would more likely run off & refuse to come back. I suppose that's my problem really I'm holding back ds1 for the sake of ds2, is it fair to keep 1 in the house and let the other 1 out? There's no other kids in the street so if ds1 was to play out he'd be on his own so would prefer ds2 to play with him. Aaarrrggghhhhh it's just so hard, I can see the school holidays especially the summer holidays being an absolute nightmare

I let mine out from that age. They know not to cross if a car is coming even if it is very far away.

Of course it's fair to allow the older child privlidges before the younger ones!

Bumping for more opinions please

Mine have only just been allowed out as we've moved to a cul de sac whereas we've been on a busy road til now. I'm so unused to them being anywhere other than in our own garden, I'm doing the helicopter parent thing also checking on them in as subtle a way as I can. They're 8 and 11. It's great for them now being able to go out and call for friends but I'm going to have to grow thicker skin

Yes to letting older one out and not younger (sorry to say but dc2s ime are all bonkers)
Give clear reasons without sounding negative and maybe a target (either when you're 16 older or if old enough but irresponsible then give a number of times you need to see them cross the path/road/whatever safely?)

Sorry to be a dick but I don't understand why its not practical to go to the park with a newborn?

It's not practical to be on a park all day with a newborn ie they need feeding and changing regular

I do know that, I have had a few. But why can't you do that in the park? I'm no mother of the year and I found life much easier to just decamp to the park all day so older DCs can play.

Any way I know that's not your question and it's orritating when MNers go off on one being unhelpful so am sorry about that. I think you mean 'I've got a newborn and I don't fancy going to the park all day/don't like BFing in public/I'd rather be inside. Fair enough if you don't want to but it is completely possible.

I let mine out from the age of four, but we have a little park outside the house with a dead end so very safe traffic wise. As they got older I let them go further. It really depends on the child, and I think the law is five years old. I'd say as long as they are sensible road crossers, it will be fine. I would not make them come back every five to ten minutes though, it would have made mine anxious.

They are aged 18 and twins are ten. It was definitely better second time round as I felt two could keep an eye on each other. All three are very independent and confident. Ten year olds have been allowed to go to further away parks since they were seven, and now are allowed to go to the park that's fifteen minutes away. I do like them to take their mobile phones with them though, which are kept in their bags and not taken out unless used for phoning me.

We are in a city, but it's a small one, and I have very good friends who are dotted about the place if there was a real emergency. That has made things much simpler.

from reception age. We have grass just outside the house.

yy, to 'safety in numbers'. The older children know not to run down to the road so the little ones pootle about with them. All the grown ups keep checking every few minutes. I leave my front door wide open too.

I only made him come back every 5 / 10 mins to begin with to gain trust that he knows he has to come back in when we said. Each time he came back he could go back out for a little bit longer. Older ds has been out on his own a bit over the last few days he's kept within the boundaries he was allowed to go and come home when he was told etc however I've been mainly stood in the window peaking round the curtains watching him it's hard knowing you've got to loosen the strings a bit. Ds2 has not been allowed to play out he is the ultimate rebel and would run off just because he's been told not too doubt I'll ever be able to let that one go I'd be waiting for the police to knock on my door with him

It is hard isn't it? I think you're doing it exactly right, and pushing yourself in all the right ways. The best advice in my opinion is listen to your heart, and follow it. Checking with others is great too, but it usually just firms up what you already think and feel

Just beginning to let nearly 8 yr old out on his own. He can go up and down road on pavement on his bike or scooter. Had a friend round yesterday and they were out together and also crossing road and riding on the road but to go to pavement if a car came. Later they wanted to go to the park which is away from the houses so I went with them and took ds2 (age 4). Park is lovely with great playground but rare to see other kids there which is a real shame. If I knew other kids would be there I wouldn't mind Ds1 going.