8year old & walking to the park

[StubbleTurnips]

Trying to judge what age you give children more independence.

DD and friend both turned 8 in the summer (July/august birthdays). The Friend isn’t particularly street wise / mature but is allowed to walk solo to the park to play and come home. Park is about 3/4 mile away across a couple of busy roads in a large city.

DD is gutted that we won’t let her do the same, it doesn’t feel particularly safe so we’ve said no.

What age do you start letting go a little more?

Three quarters of a mile?

No way

No way would I let my 8 year old do this.

I wasn't allowed at that age 20 year ago and I certainly wouldn't allow my DC to do that.

It’s probably a quicker route if you go the local ginnels but I don’t walk them as they’re terrifying.

Glad I’m not alone in this.

Ginnels

😱😱😱😱

Fwiw we live in a quiet surburan area in a quiet town, the park is probably 500 yards away and I still wouldn't be particularly happy with my 8 year old DS wandering over there.

And I HATE to admit this, but I'd been even more reluctant with DD

No way. There are a few children round here who do and the wisdom of my view that DS1 (then nearly 8) wasn’t doing so was cemented when in the space of 20 minutes I watched one cause a car (luckily doing about 15mph) to do an emergency stop by sprinting out into the road, had to shoo a pair out of the younger kids playground because they were fencing with sticks and had the three of them described to me by a stranger (there with a toddler) as ‘feral’ and ‘thoroughly badly behaved’.

Flipping heck! No way. My DD just turned 7 and absolutely no chance will she be doing similar in a year!

This has to be a joke. We are 100m from a park and I wouldn’t let DS9 go alone

When mine were little I read a report where researchers concluded that kids' brains aren't mature enough to cross a road safely until they're 11. So my kids weren't allowed out on their own until they were 11. They could play in the street with their friends but only where I could see them.

And that's just roads. Consider people who'd want to do them harm. Nope, 8 is far too young to go to the park alone. Even if the park was next door.

Helicopter parenting doesn't help your kids. By aged 8, they should be able to cross the bloody road themselves!!

CallMe I wish it was

DD said her friend walks herself to school and has her own door key now too, Mum works shifts so her older brother is supposed to look after her.

I don't know but my daughter's 8 and no way mature enough to go to the park by herself, although I wouldn't go it anyway

No chance.

At 8 I'd drop my child at the park and let them play with their friend. I'd be in the car with a pod cast until they were done.

Mine is almost 11 and wants to walk the dog alone. I'm struggling.

I see kids who look 7/8 to me out and about on their own so clearly some parents are fine with it but I don't think I would. When I was 7, I was allowed to walk about 3 mins down the road (no crossing required) to post a letter, that seems fine.