To other mums....of 5-10 year olds....

[msgander]

A question, to ensure I am not being unfair in my judgement....

At what age did you let your child go out on their own during the day or evening?

Whilst a kid has got to go out at some stage and get streetwise, I do feel 6/7 is a bit young especially if they have no road sense! - am I being too careful, is it better to let them go deal with it (in my young days we didnt have so much publicity about the rapists and murderers, no doubt they were still there!), but you hear so many things it makes you worry TOO much about them.

What line did you/are you taking on it?
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[Barry_M2]

My daughter is 6 (1/2), and there is no way I'd let her out on her own. And to be honest she wouldn't want to go anywhere on her own either.

It's all down to the parents and how you want to bring your child up.

Personally I dont have a particular age in mind, I'll just decide as and when it arises.

When I was a nipper, I was never out on my own until at least 9 or 10 (that was back in 1985).
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[Louise]

My son is 2 1/2 and im allready thinking about this.
No way would I let him out at 6/7 years of age.
I would quiet happlily take him to a mates, pick him up. But no to going on his own.
I remember I was 13 before I could go out on my own, and 15 to be allowed back in by 10.

[LewisD]

I wouldn't let a kid of mine go out until they are 10/11.. just when they are getting into gangs of other similar aged kids.

But i have an 8 year old niece, and she wanted to go up the shops the other day - call me overprotective - but i made sure she held my hand all the way to the shops.

Not in todays day and age of paedos.

[Mr.Everready]

My son is 10 1/2 and it's only now that we've allowed him to out himself. He is quite naive though which didn't help.
His sister ( 6 next week ) will no doubt be wanting out with her friends when she's 8/9, she's got an old head on very young shoulders.
I must also that I live in a small quite rural place.
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[R1stu]

My daughter is 6 and she rides her bike to her mates in the next rd and plays outside around her mums.

However the place where she lives your likly to see a car travel there as you are seing tank tops back in fashion!
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[Louise]

[Marcg868]

Im not a parent or anything, but my little sister (she's 10) has only just started to be allowed out on her own.

I cant wait till she's 14/15 when she gets her first bf, im gonna grill the bf to fuck
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[Mary Jane]

My oldest son is 7, and it wasn't until he was 6&1/2 that I would feel comfortable letting him play with his friends out in the big grassy area next to our apartments without an adult present. He's good enough at looking out for his younger brother (4) that I'll let him go out and play with his brother there too.

I don't feel comfortable letting him go outside our apartment area, accross any busy streets or even down the street on his own. I know he has some road sense. I taught him very well how to cross a street, even a busy one by using a crosswalk and making sure he sees the cars stopping before crossing, but unless he was with some older kids or an adult I wouldn't be comfortable letting him do it. There are just too many freaks and weirdos out there.

[mr jamez]

Yeah paedos weren't about in the good old days, wagon wheels were bigger as well.



The facts > media hysteria
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[G]

When I was 8 I had relatively free roam to do what I liked on a rather iffy council state in Cambridge.

There wasn't much around where we lived in Papua New Guinea, but I can remember going to the local shops a few times before I was eight - about a five minute walk.

[Retro-Man]

G
that would not happpen to be the Arbury estate would it

for the record my 7 year old is allowed to play outside on his wn (no road nearby) providing he stays in line of sight of the house

at the age of 7 I seem to remember trawling around building sites climbing on things I would have a heart attack if I saw my son doing now
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[G]

Afraid I don't remember a name as such - didn't live there for long.

[Retro-Man]

yeah, if it was the Arbury I wouldn't admit it either


I just happen to work in Cambridge just a few miles away from that estate(loads of real dodgy people)
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[Luke_Retrofly]

Hi
Your child is less likely to be attacked now, than ever before. There are roughly only 5 child murders (from someone outside the family) so its highly unlikely anything will happen, G's aslo right 70-80% of abuse happens within the family,

Nothing like a bit of newspaper histeria to scare the shit out of you (thank you daily mail),

Luke
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[queen of string]

My son is 12 , he's only been allowed out with a friend since he was 10 and still not much on his own. I'm realistic about peados and the like but more worried about him being mugged by older kids or bullied.
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[Annabella]

I was allowed to walk down the road to my friend's house, or cycle to another street to my other friend's house. We were allowed to play in the fields at that age.

However, I grew up in a tiny little village where everyone knew everyone else and the most dangerous thing around was Farmer Cambridge and his shotgun (combined with a bottle of whisky which was normal he was never too lethal as he couldn't aim )
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[want a ZZR 1400]

Mine are only allowed out on their own (in the light hours at first) when they go to senior school. I am protective and don't mind admitting it. However, when i was a kid we roamed around whenever and wherever we wanted. Traffic is probably more of an issue than them getting nabbed IYKWIM.

[Mary Jane]

[Kickstart]

Hi

When I was about 7~8 I would walk or cycle home from school (about 2 miles into the countryside). Quicker to walk than wait for the school bus. Used to walk / cycle rather further and at a younger age at weekends.

As to sex offender, think the main difference is media induced paranoia these days. Just because the school choosing to write about them now doesn't mean they didn't exist before.

All the best

Keith
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[Flip]

[plugger147]

My little girls been allowed to play in the street (but not off it) since she was 6, however we live in quite a quiet cul de sac of about 20 houses and there are usually the other 7 under 10's who live here out playing too. I felt guilty keeping her in when all the other kids were out playing and we kept her in. She has had all the stranger talk's from us and her kickboxing instructor has regular talk's with the younger kid's in his classes about strangers and bullying and my misses volunteered at the school to help with the road safety program so she's had that drummed into her too.

I had much more freedom when I was a kid and I think if you keep them in for to long then they are going to find it a lot more difficult to adjust to different situations if they don't go out and have petty squabbles, argue and fight then have a game of tag before tea. I do get a bit pissed off though when some of the kids are still out gone 10 o'clock when mine's fed, bathed and asleep in bed, give them as much freedom as you can as long as they know your rule's and why you set them.
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[mazz]

I was allowed around locally from about 7 then when I turned 8 I was allowed to cross the BIG road

My parents have always given me a pretty free reign on where I went it taught me to be streetwise whereas my older brother because he was the eldest didn't get to do a lot of things until he was at an older age and I'd say he is a wimp haha.

In all seriousness though the age other people let their kids wander at should not affect when you let your kids out no-one knows your area or your kids as well as you do so therefore what might be ok for another persons child elsewhere may not be ok for your kid depending on the area and the childs maturity. One eight year old could be able to safely go out on their own whereas another one living in the same place may not have as good an awareness of life and be unsafe being alone.

You also have to consider the fact if you let your child out alone would you do nothing but worry all the time? That is not good for your health and shows that you don't feel that your child is streetwise enough to be out alone in which case you are probablly right and they are not ready. Let your child go out alone when you think they are ready and when you feel comfortable about it and remember you can set boundaries on how far they can go to when out alone.

Mazz x

[lozzypop1]

My eldest son wasnt allowed out on his own (even though I lived in a very quiet village on a street that wasn't a through road) until he was about 8 1/2. My youngest on the other hand is a proper little street kid!
He was allowed out from about the age of 5-6 as he is a hell of a lot more streetwise than his older brother.

Even now, Squirt's got a reputation, he'll hold his own out there, and the only thing I have to worry about is what injury he's coming home with next. (The latests ones are a broken toe from falling from a tree, and a nasty slice on his leg from his skateboard) Whereas DJ is still being picked on, and actually chooses not to go out.

There is no right or wrong as to what age you feel is right for your child.
Although I will warn you, look what happened to one case study:

[andrea]

My son is 5 1/2 and theres no way i'm letting him out on his own now as he isnt streetwise at all and i'd worry way too much. I dont know when it will be, but not until he's atleast 9 or 10 and then only where i can keep my eye on him.

My dad was really strict with me, and i think i was 13/14 before i could even catch a bus into town. I wasnt best pleased at the time, but i now have the utmost respect for him as he kept me safe Didnt do me any harm