What say you?

[lucky_bee]

If those kids wouldve gotten kidnapped, hit by a car, whatever everyone would be singing a different tune. 6 years old is a kindergartner for petes sake!

At 10...you should know how to walk ONE MILE without walking into the street or going up to strangers and begging for candy.

Someone should call CPS on my mother now, even though all us kids are out of the house! I was a latchkey kid from 7? 8? and by the age of 10 was regularly babysitting my brothers (they would've been 6 and 4?) after school or maybe for an hour or two on the weekend so my mother could go grocery shopping in peace. This was the norm. And that was 16-17 years ago. We had neighbors that all took care of each other, we had a home phone we called mom from as soon as we got home to check in, well before cell phones and Snapchat so no one required pics of my entire walk home

Did you spoon feed your 10 y/o too? Were they even allowed hard candies before the age of 14?

The mother isn't a dolt. I'm sure she took a lot of consideration into the safety of the road, the area, the neighborhood, etc before deciding it was ok for the 2 kids to walk one lousy mile from the park or the bus stop, where ever it was, home alone. She's in Montgomery county for crying out loud. The worst things these kids gotta worry about is being attacked by some old lady's Pomeranian.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Probability and risk.. Hit by a car? Only if the parents didn't teach them how to cross a street (there was a 10 year old too).. or a drunk driver runs up on the sidewalk VERY low probability of either..

Kidnapped? Really? Might as well of said drowning in a Tsunami in North Dakota.. Probability is beyond ludicrous speed..

Basically, a 10 year old and a 6 year old of which we have no idea of their maturity level.

I was 10 my parents never knew where I was until the sun went down..

Me too. My mother kicked us out of the house after our chores were done. She'd always say "its too nice to be inside, get outside and play. I had no idea I was being neglected. Quick...I need to call Dr. Phil.

 

[PJumper]

By the time I was 10, I had been sleeping alone in our farm about a mile from the nearest house. I do have with me a 22 caliber rifle, some machetes and a spear gun. The best sleeps I had ever, all you can hear are the crickets and some nocturnal birds.

 

[kwillia]

If those kids wouldve gotten kidnapped, hit by a car, whatever everyone would be singing a different tune. 6 years old is a kindergartner for petes sake!

I lived in an apartment complex near Pen Marr shopping center in Forestville, MD when I was of elementary school age. Forestville Elementary was over a mile away and we were required to walk to and from school every day. The walking route was a series of sidewalks along the major highway, then we had to navigate the crosswalk across the major highway and eventually arrive at the school. Yep, there was a crossing guard assigned to the crosswalk for the major highway crossing. Yep, there were parents walking along but not necessarily parents all kids knew. We also played outside at the apartment complex. We also walked to the complex pool or to the playground, both of which were blocks over from our apartment. It was the norm.

A parents job isn't to protect their child from the world. A parents job is to mentor and prepare their child for facing the world. Parents today seem to think there is something magical about a child's age. As if at a certain age they will wake up suddenly self-aware and street smart. At a certain age the will wake up and suddenly be able to do time management and accept responsibility and recognize consequences of decisions.

The reality is that these concepts and awareness grow over the ENTIRE course of childhood and by the time they hit their teens we are supposed to be pretty much done and taking a back-seat while we watch them take the control of their own lives. Yes, it does start in single digit year ages.

 

[lovinmaryland]

Probability and risk.. Hit by a car? Only if the parents didn't teach them how to cross a street (there was a 10 year old too).. or a drunk driver runs up on the sidewalk VERY low probability of either..

Kidnapped? Really? Might as well of said drowning in a Tsunami in North Dakota.. Probability is beyond ludicrous speed..

Basically, a 10 year old and a 6 year old of which we have no idea of their maturity level.

I was 10 my parents never knew where I was until the sun went down..

6th Grade (that would be 11 I believe) I would ride my bike over 6 miles down to Puget Sound where the Ferry landed from McNeil Island to go fishing.. or I'd ride my bike god knows how far to go fishing in some far off lake or pond.. Broke my shoulder (clavicle to be more correct) on the way to the Ferry landing and my parents weren't aware of it until I got home that night.. cast underhand all day because it was too painful to cast overhand..

Give kids free reign, ability to make decisions.. and you'll be amazed at how they do.. DON'T and you'll also be amazed at what kind of adult you get.

I almost got hit by a car walking into wal mart this afternoon some retard just turned out of the aisle w/ out looking...so it can happen! No matter how responsible you think a 6 year old could be all it takes is for some jack ass to text on their phone or not pay attention.

At 10...you should know how to walk ONE MILE without walking into the street or going up to strangers and begging for candy.

Someone should call CPS on my mother now, even though all us kids are out of the house! I was a latchkey kid from 7? 8? and by the age of 10 was regularly babysitting my brothers (they would've been 6 and 4?) after school or maybe for an hour or two on the weekend so my mother could go grocery shopping in peace. This was the norm. And that was 16-17 years ago. We had neighbors that all took care of each other, we had a home phone we called mom from as soon as we got home to check in, well before cell phones and Snapchat so no one required pics of my entire walk home

Did you spoon feed your 10 y/o too? Were they even allowed hard candies before the age of 14?

The mother isn't a dolt. I'm sure she took a lot of consideration into the safety of the road, the area, the neighborhood, etc before deciding it was ok for the 2 kids to walk one lousy mile from the park or the bus stop, where ever it was, home alone. She's in Montgomery county for crying out loud. The worst things these kids gotta worry about is being attacked by some old lady's Pomeranian.

So was I but like I said today is a completely different time from back then. 10 yes... 6 no. Would you hire a 10 year old to baby sit your 6 year old child? I'm pretty sure NO. Sibling or not a 10 year old should not be in charge of caring for a 6 year old.

 

[lucky_bee]

I almost got hit by a car walking into wal mart this afternoon some retard just turned out of the aisle w/ out looking...so it can happen! No matter how responsible you think a 6 year old could be all it takes is for some jack ass to text on their phone or not pay attention.



But the problem I have with that mentality is there's nothing you can do to prevent something like that. If you were walking your child back, and some guy is texting and jumps the curb...you're both injured. You being there doesn't prevent the whole scenario. You cannot be there every second of the day. Her whole reasoning behind allowing her kids to do all this is because of confidence and trust. She trusts they will remember to use and act upon the common sense she instilled in them. When you instill such confidence in a younger person, they will only continue to thrive in that independence. Yes, being hit by a car that jumped the curb is incredibly unfortunate but also extremely rare and an absolute freak accident. Would I allow every 10 y/o to walk a mile alone? or any mile? NO. It's all about circumstances and if this mom felt that mile was safe for her 2 kids, I stand by that. But I do plan on raising my kids to be confident and self sufficient from a very early age so that if similar situations arise, I'll feel they're prepared to do it on their own. I'd prefer for my kid to have their own brain so I don't have to think and do for them every second of the day. That has to be so tiring. To do that for yourself, your husband AND your kids. You do that and you get a bunch of the pussies everyone here's always complaining about in my generation. We're all entering the workforce now and don't know how to do jack#### without calling home to mommy and daddy. Or they simply immediately give up and go be a store manager at American Apparel Well I can carry on and I'd like to think my independence started when my mother trusted me to think and act for myself and with the common sense she knocked into me on a daily basis. And that included watching my brothers without killing them or allowing any knife-wielding rapists to crash into us with their cars while they're texting.


So was I but like I said today is a completely different time from back then. 10 yes... 6 no. Would you hire a 10 year old to baby sit your 6 year old child? I'm pretty sure NO. Sibling or not a 10 year old should not be in charge of caring for a 6 year old.

Can I horrify you some more and tell you I was the neighborhood babysitter on my block when I was 12?

 

[Bann]

When we lived in Florida, kids walked to school, ELEMENTARY school included, when they lived within 2 miles. OR parents drove them No school transportation provided.They probably still do.

Thing2 walked to school for 2nd and 3rd grade after the county built a new "neighborhood" school. We lived about 1.9 miles from the school. He rode his bike back & forth. He carried a walkie talkie which he turned on when he got out of school and could use to call me if something happened. We worked it out and he was fine. He's 19years old now.

 

[lovinmaryland]

Can I horrify you some more and tell you I was the neighborhood babysitter on my block when I was 12?

I get things can happen anywhere at any time I just dont get helping increase the odds.

Ive got 5 kids that are all alive and kicking so hopefully I know what I'm doing

 

[lucky_bee]

Edit: I still have to call home or my best friend for help with insurance forms and tax stuff. I can't understand any of it to save my life

 

[vraiblonde]

When I was a kid they didn't even have bus service unless you lived out in the boonies. I rode the bus in 9th grade (which was Jr High back then) and I think my first year of high school because I lived several miles from school, across the highway. But other than that there was no school bus. I can remember my mom walking me to school in kindergarten (I was 4) and from then I was on my own. Packs of kids all walked together and I don't recall there ever being a problem.

Reminiscing:

In one of the Beezus and Ramona books, Ramona's mother had to leave the house early for some reason and Ramona was tasked with getting herself out the door by herself (normally Mom would feed her and send her on her way). Mom tells her to leave the house at a quarter after, and Ramona reasoned that a quarter was 25 cents, so therefore she should leave the house at 25 minutes after. So Ramona was not only walking alone to school but actually feeding herself and getting herself out the door when she was too young to tell time (I think she was kindergarten).



So anyway, little kids walking to and from school never used to be a big deal.

 

[musiclady]

Oh and in Ohio, when the levy didn't pass for school funding, they took away the buses for anyone who lived within 2 miles as the crow flies. They expected me to send my 5 yr old walking along the edge of a 5 lane road with no sidewalk, a ditch, a pond, and know what street to turn on and how to navigate traffic when crossing a street. We lived 2 1/2 miles away by road. Walkers were just let go from school to find their way. However, security procedures required any parent picking up their kid to have a laminated card with the child's identifying information, plus show a drivers license and wait. I hated that. All the info was on that card. Yet these people get investigated for a walk home.

 

[mitzi]

I wouldn't let my kids do it, but it's the parents decision. Someone reporting it is ridiculous. I think it depends on where you live. Many of you say you roamed when you were little on the farm or out in the country. This is a far cry from having free range in the city or the suburbs. Plus free range makes them sound like chickens .
In the suburbs when I was young, we walked to elementary and jr. high but there was packs of us. High school was too far away but we walked a good distance to the bus stop (still packs of us) so it was pretty safe. Until walking home from the bus stop with 2 other girls, others scattered up and down the street and adults out in their front yards, a guy walking towards us had his pecker hanging out (and smiling I might add). My mother walking to the neighborhood shopping center (alone) had the same thing happen to her, it scared her to death. Yet again, when my daughter was 4 and we lived in an apartment and I let her play on the patio (10 feet away from me in the kitchen), she comes in and tells me a man walked by and shook the thing he pees with at her. Living in the city or suburbs there are too many people and too many weirdos, no way my child would walk around alone that young. It's not safe.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

What does the BOE say about kids walking to and from school? I thought most school districts were w/in a mile of their school? How is this different?

 

[SG_Player1974]

I always wonder if the multitude of people sitting in their SUVs waiting for their children to get off the bus so they can drive them the 500 yards to their homes is actually an act of love -OR- an act of laziness. If it is laziness, is it because of the kid's or the parent's?

 

[KDENISE977]

I always wonder if the multitude of people sitting in their SUVs waiting for their children to get off the bus so they can drive them the 500 yards to their homes is actually an act of love -OR- an act of laziness. If it is laziness, is it because of the kid's or the parent's?

Now this is purely hypothetical, but if my kid needed to ride the bus from our development you can bet your sweet AZZ he'd be sitting in my SUV waiting for the bus or being picked up, I have a 1/2 mile private drive and then another 1/3 mile to the buss. Luckily, he'll be getting picked up and dropped off at his daycare till he's old enough. I don't think it's the lazy parents, I'd say it's the cautious ones, all it takes is one stranger to be trolling through your development and see a very young kid walking ALONE and realized they're easy pickins !!

 

[lovinmaryland]

What does the BOE say about kids walking to and from school? I thought most school districts were w/in a mile of their school? How is this different?

My girldfriend literally lives across the street from White Marsh in Mechanicsville and the school would not allow her kids to walk to school. The bus has to pick them up.

 

[Monello]

I grew up in the concrete jungle 10 miles from Manhattan. The entire neighborhood walked to elementary school. In all sorts of weather. The main street had a crossing guard but other than that we had to navigate the other streets ourselves.

The same thing when summer came. We walked everywhere.

 

[acommondisaster]

wow. #### like this makes me never want to have kids. I'm sorry you had to go through all that bull

It should make you not want to have neighbors.

 

[acommondisaster]

No ####ing way I would let me 6 year old walk a god damn mile home. That is freakin ridiculous! These people thought it was ok for their 8 year old to walk home too...look what happened to him http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/n...years-in-killing-of-leiby-kletzky-8.html?_r=0 This is not the same world it was when I was growing up...there are freakin nut bags out there.

Actually, statistics show that child abductions by strangers is actually going down. One child abducted by strangers is too many, of course.

 

[itsbob]

I almost got hit by a car walking into wal mart this afternoon some retard just turned out of the aisle w/ out looking...so it can happen! No matter how responsible you think a 6 year old could be all it takes is for some jack ass to text on their phone or not pay attention.




So was I but like I said today is a completely different time from back then. 10 yes... 6 no. Would you hire a 10 year old to baby sit your 6 year old child? I'm pretty sure NO. Sibling or not a 10 year old should not be in charge of caring for a 6 year old.

10 used to be the "legal age" to babysit.. don't know of many (statistically more than those cared for by adults) negligent deaths.