At what age do you let your child...

[NanceXToo]

Leave your street, to go walking or riding bikes around the neighboring blocks or to go "around the block" or whatever, with other kids/friends?

[Dobela]

My son has been doing it since age 7 in my parent's neighborhood. My neighborhood however is dangerous so he has never been allowed to leave our block.

[ShelzNH]

We live in a small town where everyone knows each other. That's not to say that bad things couldn't happen here but I have allowed my son since he was about 7 (he is now 10) to go to the store (which requires crossing two streets) go to the skate park (during school hours when the punks aren't around) to go to the library and to ride a bike up the hill to a friend's house. I think it also has to do with the child though. My son is very careful and aware of his surroundings and takes it seriousky. My dd who is now 7 has been asking to do these things and there is no way I would let her go by herself. Maybe it also has to do with being a girl vs. a boy? Sounds silly..but it just doesn't resonate well with me for her where it felt natural for my son...Of course in our previous town there is no way I would have allowed either of them to go outside of our block...

[Daisy]

I let my 10yo and 8yo walk TOGETHER to a friend's house about 1.5 blocks away. I would never let either one of them go alone. Not in my neighborhood. They can ride bikes on our street when I'm out supervising.

 

I probably will never let my kids walk the neighborhood completely by themselves. We have 30+ convicted sex offenders that live within a 2 mile radius. Gangs are also a huge problem. And I don't really leave in a horrible neighborhood. It is just a huge problem in my city. I wouldn't go for a walk by myself in my city.

[Mandamom]

In my neighborhood and area around 8 years old. We live in a somewhat closed off neighborhood and there are a group of girls from 7-10 that ride their bikes around together numerous times per day (2 of mine are in that group). They have gotten a lot of exercise and are in great shape. I love it :)

[SquirrellyMama]

Our kids are generally allowed to go around the block or a few blocks at age 6.

[DianeW88]

Seven years old. My son is nine now, and he's gone all day, riding all over the place with his friends. I'm a bit of a "free range" mom, though. I really don't agree with a lot of the "helicopter parenting" that's going on these days, so maybe I'm not the person to ask. :lol:

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

[gpsings]

I'm the opposite of free-range, though I know I need to let go some. My 10 year old isn't even allowed to go out front by herself. :blushing:

I just don't believe there is any 'safe place'.

[mjpeter]

I'm somewhere in the middle.

 

My 7 yo is allowed to ride down a few driveways on the road and come back. (We're on a rural cul-de-sac)

 

My 12 yo is very angry with me right now because he wanted to take his fishing pole and ride to the creek and go fishing by himself. (With a friend, I would have considered it, but not alone) Needless to say, I'm not very popular. I want to give them the freedom they want, but it's hard when hear story after story about a missing child.

 

My older two boys are allowed to ride, play in the neighborhood as long as they tell me where they are going.

 

It's a lot different than when I was a child!

 

Public bathrooms are a major problem with us, as well. I usually try to use the "buddy system."

[JVA]

We live in a 'rural' neighborhood- ie: lots are 1-3 acres. We're letting our 13yr. old ds go around the 'circle' - 2.5 miles. Must wear a helmet and take my cellphone. AND not talk to ANYONE- except one friend who lives on an adjecent street.

[NanceXToo]

I'm just so torn between wanting to protect my child, and not wanting to be so ridiculously OVER protective that she doesn't get to do things other kids her age normally get to do.

 

I know the odds are slim that something might happen to her like a stranger abduction or molestation or some such, but, god, the papers are still full of such tragic things happening, and I would want to die if it happened to MY child.

 

All the other kids on our block started being allowed to leave our street this summer, to go "around the block." We live in a relatively quiet, safe residential/suburban neighborhood and it's not that I've heard of any problems around here.

 

But it still makes me nervous. Around the block means going down a few residential streets on which we don't know anyone, and then along this one stretch of road that is pretty isolated- railroad tracks, this one old run down looking apartment building, some sort of building supply outlet store that's usually pretty deserted, before finally coming up to a playground that is back behind our house (and across the creek and a small parking lot where the recycling center is), and then back around the corner to our street again. Sometimes they stop and play at the playground for a while before continuing on.

 

She's going to be 10 in less than a month. And so far I have not let her go. The other kids on our block who are allowed to go range in age from 7 to 10.

 

Needless to say, she's been pretty upset that she's the only one not allowed to go, especially when they're all playing out front together and then all her friends tell her they'll be back, that they're "going around the block" and she gets left behind.

 

I want to feel comfortable with "letting go" a bit and letting her do these normal childhood things. But it is really scary!

[Carrie12345]

My kids don't really have friends withing walking/riding distance, and there definitely isn't any place "to go" within walking distance, plus ds12 doesn't ride a bike.

I let him jog around the block (which is a half mile), but that's pretty much the extent of it. Our neighborhood isn't made up of straight cross streets, and I've actually gotten lost myself while taking the dogs down "new" roads! Ds couldn't find his way out of a paper bag.

 

The younger kids aren't allowed near the street alone. We live on a bend, and the next street is a blind hill. There are no sidewalks, and all of the roads are lined with drainage swales. It's not unusual for stupid drivers to do 45 in our 25mph zone, and they would never see my shorter kids.

 

On the flip side, I let the older three play at the park (which is even on a lake) while I'm inside a neighboring building, chatting with other hs moms. They all tend to go in different directions at the science center and zoo. They go off "hiking" in the woods surrounding our property.

 

I like giving my kids freedom. I just don't trust the safety of our little roads.

[K&Rs Mom]

Around the block we allow at 5; crossing the street when they've shown me that they're reliable (almost-6-yo isn't there yet, just-turned-8 is fine). I practice street crossing when we walk places, putting them "in charge" of saying when to go, but I have veto over their timing if needed. After doing that for a while, I know when they're good at it. My 8yo is allowed to ride her bike to a friend's house just under 1/2 mile, but so far I'm calling when she leaves an friend's mom calls me when she arrives. I'll let her go downtown to stores or whatever (about 4-5 blocks) when she's shown that I can trust her to use good manners. My 5yo's favorite thing is to ride her bike around the block, but I do make her check in after every lap.

 

I'm pretty free-range, but we live in a small town, know almost half the people on our block at least by sight, and walk all around town so I'm comfortable with their navigation skills already.

Edited September 4, 2010 by K&Rs Mom

[MamaT]

We live in a rural area off a highway, so no biking except in our driveway at home. We have to take our bikes to biking trails and we ride them when we go camping.

 

Back when we lived in a neighborhood, I let my kids ride around several blocks (they knew the limits) from the time they were 7 or so. We lived in a very safe and friendly neighborhood, though, and my kids knew a lot of the neighbors very well. They also went at least by 2's, not alone.