[Nora.]

Okay, we've had the "irresponsible parents" thread going on about leaving kids alone at the bus stop. Which made me curious, what is the right age to let kids wait at the bus stop or walk home from the bus stop/school?

My two are 8 & 9. They walk home from the bus stop now. I used to pick them up until last year when my son had gastro & I was feeling a bit off. I told DD if I wasn't at the bus stop, to walk home as it meant I'd come down with it (turns out I didn't). She said "don't wait for me, I can walk home alone". It's about 250 metres away, no roads to cross. I was nervous as hell, pacing the floor, but she was so pleased when she walked through the door. Since then, I've let them both walk home from the bus stop alone. They don't want me there.

Most other days I walk to the school to pick them up. DD has now asked that she be allowed to walk home (it's a 750 metre walk). I get her across the one semi busy road, and then she can go from there. I'm walking behind her anyway, with my 8 year old. He's way too ditzy to be allowed to walk home on his own.

So, what age to do both?

[stopwhiningatme]

Well my children will be given phones this term (they are 6 and 7) I will force them to FaceTime me whenever they are out of my sight. I must know where they are, who they are talking to, and what they are doing 24/7

They'll walk into a few telephone poles, but f*ckit, they'll be safer.

[sparkler]

Okay, we've had the "irresponsible parents" thread going on about leaving kids alone at the bus stop. Which made me curious, what is the right age to let kids wait at the bus stop or walk home from the bus stop/school?

My two are 8 & 9. They walk home from the bus stop now. I used to pick them up until last year when my son had gastro & I was feeling a bit off. I told DD if I wasn't at the bus stop, to walk home as it meant I'd come down with it (turns out I didn't). She said "don't wait for me, I can walk home alone". It's about 250 metres away, no roads to cross. I was nervous as hell, pacing the floor, but she was so pleased when she walked through the door. Since then, I've let them both walk home from the bus stop alone. They don't want me there.

Most other days I walk to the school to pick them up. DD has now asked that she be allowed to walk home (it's a 750 metre walk). I get her across the one semi busy road, and then she can go from there. I'm walking behind her anyway, with my 8 year old. He's way too ditzy to be allowed to walk home on his own.

So, what age to do both?

Depends where you live but walking home with no roads to cross a short way 9 or 10 depending on the child, for crossing roads I would say 11 or 12, again depending on the maturity of the child.

[Nora.]

I'm a bit thingy about roads. Our street is quiet, so DD is okay but anything more than our street & I'd be worried.

I was in my car today at the corner and a boy was chatting to me (he'd asked his dad if my son could come over & had approached me to say it was okay), he then started walking towards a busier road (one I won't let DD cross), and I yelled at him, he ignored me & kept walking, I screamed at him. His dad was there, along with about 5 other parents. I felt awful yelling at a child in front of his father, but I could see a car coming.

Kids and roads scare me, but I do agree there comes a time where you have to start giving them freedom. DD is 10 this year & I'm slowly letting go.

[Flibbertigibbert...]

Currently the bus driver won't let DD7 off the bus if there isn't anyone there to pick her up, we are last stop so she will wait 10 minutes and if I haven't turned up she will ring me. Gotta love country living lol. So I haven't broached the idea of DD walking home by herself, it would only involve walking across the road and climbing through the fence, but it's nice that the bus driver ensures there is someone there for her and she knows she isn't going home to an empty house.

[JustBeige]

It depends on the child. #1 would have been sensible enough to cross at lights and walk home (approx the same distance as you) at the same age. #2, no way in hell. He would have charged across roads to catch up with people or if it was raining.

He had zero road / carpark sense until he was at least 9/10.

now they are in yr6 and 7. they catch buses and walk etc without a problem.

I also think its not just the kids, but the people who they walk with plus how busy the road is.


lol, I know thats not hysterical enough for EB, so maybe just ignore my comments

[LynnyP]

My daughter's school has school owned school buses with school employed drivers. They are not allowed to let a child under 10 off the bus without a parent, guardian or older sibling waiting at the stop.

[*JAC*]

My 9yo and 6yo (almost 7) both walk to school. The school is literally 50 metres away from my house and I wave to them when I drive past them to drop the youngest off to childcare and go off to work - they are on school grounds before they're out of my sight.

[Jacoby28]

DD is 9yrs old and I still walk her to and from school. It's not DD I don't trust but the stupid parents around the school. The stupid parents who park on the verge and you have to pretty much walk out onto the road to see around them. Besides that road DD would be fine to get home.
I am not sure what age I will let her walk home alone.

[Canberra chick]

DS will be eight next month. He started walking/cycling/scooting to and from school alone this term.
It is a bike path with no roads to cross and is used extensively by the community, so it's not some quiet wee lane. It also only takes him five minutes if he's on wheels, ten by foot.
I am more than happy for him to do that, and he is loving it.

DH waves him off in the morning before heading off himself and I now go straight home from work and I am there to meet him.

I would be happy for him to get a bus that dropped him off directly at his school. But as we school locally, it's not an issue.