Letting DD out alone

[Summersoul]

Hey everyone
So my DD s friend from school unexpectedly turned up at our house asking if we would let DD go to the local park. It all came as a bit of a surprise as my DD hasn't been anywhere on her own without an adult as yet! She is 10.5 and starts secondary school in sept so I guess she needs to have a bit more freedom and just get abut more streetwise. She is very sensible but quite sheltered. What do other parents do regarding this? I was thinking maybe an hour or so and giving her a curfew do she can start taking some responsibility???

[Notreallyarsed]

Sorry should add that he’s 10, nearly 11.

[Notreallyarsed]

We’re moving soon to give DS1 more freedom to play out. For various reasons it’s not possible where we live now, and the new house has a park along the street. We’ve told him we’ll let him go to the park with a friend at first, and he will have a time to be home and have to stick to it.

[Summersoul]

What atrocious comments I'm intrigued x
Thanks everyone she has been out a little x

[MrsOverTheRoad]

Poor MommaBear! The shittest troll ever...she or he keeps adding these atrocious comments to various threads...shite, obvious shite, designed to shock...and then nobody responds!

[heron98]

Most 13 year olds I know take themselves to school and back on public transport and spend most of the weekends in town with their friends. You really need to give your DD more freedom! She is not a baby and will not be kidnapped.

[Mommabear6914]

I let DD1 go in the front garden to play when she was 10, but she wasn't allowed further. At 13 we let her go to meet a friend at the end of our street but now she is asking if she is allowed to go to the shop in the next Street! I'm not sure whether to allow this or not as she isn't very responsible and might get kidnapped. Husband told me to follow her with the car, should I??

[TeenTimesTwo]

3 minute stroll. Definitely at 10.5.
You can set rules:

• be back by X time.
• only go to the park, no ones house.
• if friend goes home you come home
• if older kids there and you feel intimidated you come home
• in emergency approach Mum with younger children
• be respectful to all adults and other children

Year 6 is definitely the time to let them stretch themselves. You need to think what she will have to be able to do to get to and from Secondary, and train her up accordingly. So if she is travelling by walk and bus/train she will need more independence skills than if it is just around the corner.

[Summersoul]

Thanks guys
We live in a nice area the park is about a 3 minute stroll x

[calamityjam]

My 10 year old is now allowed to the shop alone and the park, but again its a semi rural community where the kids roam the fields in wellies all day.

[nightshade]

Mine oldest went from about 7 or 8 to park alone..howevery rural community with one road to cross....my nearly 8 year old walks down to shop on occasion...

[MrsOverTheRoad]

How far is the park? It's about the right age...I let my DD1 go at 10. I gave her a spare phone, just a basic one with no internet. That way she could see the time so she knew when to come back...and I could ring her if I wanted to.