Do you make your kids walk?

[kroe1]

No walking here. I would drive the kiddo:

 

1. Gives me a few minutes to talk to kiddo.

2. We run about 3 miles a day, and my kiddos must be on a sports team. Therefore, no one needs extra exercise.

3. I see nothing to learn in walking alone from point A to point B.

4. Lots to learn driving with grandma telling one of her tall tales from the past.

5. Driving is when we did flash cards, planned the following day, and made excuses for not cooking that night.

6. Those few moments after an activity, when the excitement and adrenaline are still rushing, are the times when my kids actually talk about an event. I do not want to miss that moment. Otherwise, I just get a "yea, it was good" response when I ask how the day went.

[Carrie12345]

I don't drive them to their friends' houses across the street or 5 lots down, lol.

Everything else requires driving.

[LLMom]

Walk. We live about 1/2 mile from a grocery store and McDonalds. My kids quite frequently ask me to drive them when they want something. Just a few days ago my 11 year old wanted to go buy her dad a bday gift. She only asked if she could go not for me to take her. They are learning!

[Mimm]

We do not have public transit. We live in a safe neighborhood but really I only make them walk to things within a mile. Library, mall, pool (we have a lot within walking distance). And I usually only make them walk one way. I don't mind giving rides.

[fairfarmhand]

Yes, I would make my kids walk unless it was bad weather or some other circumstances.

 

In a safe area, absolutley.

 

WE don't live in a place that's got walking options and I wish we did.

[Wabi Sabi]

We don't walk anywhere and I can't imagine that changing as our kids get older. There's absolutely nowhere to walk from our house. There are no stores, schools, bus stops, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. that are walkable from our location. Technically I suppose there are a few places that are a walkable distance, but it would require walking along state highways with 50mph speed limits and no shoulder and/or crossing a major interstate. Nope. Too dangerous. 

[Tanaqui]

3. I see nothing to learn in walking alone from point A to point B.

 

Improved cognitive maps. This isn't just limited to children. And I have to say, when I was a child, my daily solitary walk to and from school was the best part of my day. I loved having the time to think and to pet the dog on the corner and to count woodpeckers or mourning doves. The idea of having to spend that time talking to people (or listening to them talk) would have made me cry. (And I sorely needed to learn how to navigate. With my topographical agnosia and general bad sense of direction, I really needed the practice both in mapping my environment and in asking for directions if I got lost.)

[kroe1]

No walking here. I would drive the kiddo:

 

1. Gives me a few minutes to talk to kiddo.

2. We run about 3 miles a day, and my kiddos must be on a sports team. Therefore, no one needs extra exercise.

3. I see nothing to learn in walking alone from point A to point B.

4. Lots to learn driving with grandma telling one of her tall tales from the past.

5. Driving is when we did flash cards, planned the following day, and made excuses for not cooking that night.

6. Those few moments after an activity, when the excitement and adrenaline are still rushing, are the times when my kids actually talk about an event. I do not want to miss that moment. Otherwise, I just get a "yea, it was good" response when I ask how the day went.

Please disregard the above post. I just lost out to Pokemon Go.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Improved cognitive maps. This isn't just limited to children. And I have to say, when I was a child, my daily solitary walk to and from school was the best part of my day. I loved having the time to think and to pet the dog on the corner and to count woodpeckers or mourning doves. The idea of having to spend that time talking to people (or listening to them talk) would have made me cry. (And I sorely needed to learn how to navigate. With my topographical agnosia and general bad sense of direction, I really needed the practice both in mapping my environment and in asking for directions if I got lost.)

 

Yeah I generally didn't mind walking.  It was awful when icy or pouring, but otherwise it wasn't so bad and fairly easy exercise.

[Tanaqui]

Yeah I generally didn't mind walking.  It was awful when icy or pouring, but otherwise it wasn't so bad and fairly easy exercise.

 

If it was icy or pouring, I took the bus (or, more often, stayed home - I had a serious case of school refusal!)

 

Used to pick mulberries walking to and from school as well. Now I have to plan to go out and pick 'em in June.

[luuknam]

Well, when my oldest was 18 months old I made him walk the 2 mile round trip to Dollar General, so, yes? Okay, he didn't walk it alone, but...

 

He's now almost 9yo and sometimes walks to/from the playground alone (crosses about 5 residential streets). When he's a teenager I'd probably make him bicycle some places alone. Currently he's not bicycling anywhere alone yet (including the playground) because he's less careful about street crossings when he's on his bicycle. Public transportation here sucks, but I'd probably make him use it occasionally as a teen just to practice.

[Alice]

I saw this and thought, "yes every night." We go on family walks around the neighborhood almost nightly after dinner and my 6 yr old always complains. We mostly make them all come unless dh and I are more feeling like some alone time together. And then we let them stay home and clean up after dinner. :) 

 

I would have them walk places in a utilitarian way, but there aren't a lot of things we do as far as activities that they can walk to. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

If it was icy or pouring, I took the bus (or, more often, stayed home - I had a serious case of school refusal!)

 

Used to pick mulberries walking to and from school as well. Now I have to plan to go out and pick 'em in June.

 

There were no buses where I used to live.

 

There was a chestnut tree on my walk. 

[Ewe Mama]

We love to walk/ride places, but drivers on our busy 45mph road are getting crazier and crazier with distracted driving and speeding. I don't feel safe on a bike anymore. Walking is better, but riding to town was a lot more fun.

[Guest]

First, please know I am not disparaging you or your family. I am all about do what you gotta do and if you gotta commute 2+ hrs to work or school, then you gotta.

 

We moved, and had our house on the market for a year and a half, eventually selling it in a short sale, when my DH got a job with a commute of 1.25 hrs. If I were faced with a similar situation, would evaluate all the options, but make different choices to ensure that my teen or pre teen did not have a 2+ hr commute to school.

 

And aside...I have only ever lived in "outer suburbs." I have never lived anywhere that a bus, or any other public transport, was available. At the same time....I have never lived anywhere that a school bus wasn't available for neighborhood that far away from the school. Even when my siblings went to a Catholic school that was outside our "district" they still had a bus that would come get them.

Rosie lives in Australia. Two hours away is like practically next door.

 

Sorry Rosie. I'm sure you have something smarter to say. :)

[LucyStoner]

I don't make my older son (age 13) do more than he is comfortable with (having ASD and minimal sense of direction whatsoever means that if he were uncomfortable, he could easily panic and get lost) but I have very intentionally worked him up to the point of using is feet and bike to get around our immediate area (walkable commercial core of a small close in suburb) and the bus for things farther away. This summer he is taking the bus for his summer university class. That means walking a little ways on either end. I rode with him the first day to make sure he knew the stop to get off at and to help him position himself on a huge urban campus by landmarks and with a laminated campus map. Since then, I gave him a ride once and that was because we had all over slept. I think that there's a huge social and emotional development necessity in learning how to get around without mom or dad. He also has learned how to transfer busses in the urban center of our area but he doesn't need to do that this summer since there is a bus that goes to the campus directly.

 

ETA: We have a library, 2 grocery stores, a drug store, a number of restraurants, dry cleaners, the optometrist, a few barbers/salons, a couple of parks, a couple of entertainment venues, city services and bus stops for buses going 4 different directions within a mile or less. There's a small shopping center about 2 miles away along a paved car free trail. So walking is an option. I have to admit that as I look for houses, I am finding it hard to get interested in anything that doesn't have at least some walkability and a few bus lines. The bus schedules are reasonably reliable and predictable. If we lived in a different area, perhaps my answer would be much different.

Edited July 12, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie lives in Australia. Two hours away is like practically next door.

 

Sorry Rosie. I'm sure you have something smarter to say. :)

 

Lol. Yeah, it took two hours to get about 15km to school. There was a school closer but I was bypassing that because it wasn't a good one. So, far from being a bad mummy, my mother was doing a good thing by sending me somewhere better. :) It was just as easy to sit on the bus or at the bus stop reading a book as it was to sit at home reading a book waiting until it was time to leave. A bit colder in the winter, but such is life. Even if I'd gone to the closer school, there was no school bus and we would have had to walk to the bus stop and catch the public bus like everyone else. That's normal here. It's not like we could afford to just move house, closer to the school!

[luuknam]

Even if I'd gone to the closer school, there was no school bus and we would have had to walk to the bus stop and catch the public bus like everyone else. That's normal here.

 

Speaking of "normal here", it's normal in NL for elementary kids to walk/bicycle up to 15 min or so to school, and for middle/high school students to walk/bicycle up to 30 min or so (and there are exceptions that take longer). My classmates laughed at me when my mom walked me to school when I was 6 (she only did that because we'd just moved and she wanted to meet other moms). And, obviously, NL does not have school buses either.

[regentrude]

Speaking of "normal here", it's normal in NL for elementary kids to walk/bicycle up to 15 min or so to school, and for middle/high school students to walk/bicycle up to 30 min or so (and there are exceptions that take longer). My classmates laughed at me when my mom walked me to school when I was 6 (she only did that because we'd just moved and she wanted to meet other moms). And, obviously, NL does not have school buses either.

 

Same in Germany. Kids walk up to 20 minutes to elementary school, and as of 5th grade, often have to take public transit across town.

Parents walk the first grader on the first day, that's it.

There may be school buses in rural areas without public transit, and transportation services for youth with disabilities, but a non disabled 5th grader is expected to be able to use a bus, subway or street car without an adult.

Edited July 13, 2016 by regentrude

[skimomma]

I do expect my dd to walk anywhere within 2ish miles and bike within 5ish miles whenever feasible.  We live in a rundown-but-mostly-safe city neighborhood so she has access to most of her friends, most of her babysitting jobs, all of her cat sitting jobs, the library, many businesses, parks, beaches, and both dh's and my places of employment. This requires crossing two majors roads and navigating many streets with no sidewalks.  If the weather is bad, time is short, or dd has a lot to carry, we happily drive her.  But the default expectation is that she will walk/bike.  This is uncommon in our area.  I seldom see kids walking anywhere.  My neighbor drives her 5th grader to school every day even though it is three blocks away.  It baffles me but not my circus.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Living in Europe, no car.

 

We walk everywhere, and rake PT everywhere else.

 

You know you're a walking family when your four year old routinely says things like, "Don't you think I'm brave because my legs are tired but I'm not whining?" :-)

 

It's an entirely different pace of life when you literally move at the speed of a very petite four year old. It's actually great bonding time... We have the best conversations while out and about.

[Lady Florida.]

No, but I do think it depends on where you live.

 

-What passes for public transit here is a joke.

-It's a mile to just get out of our subdivision and on to a main road.

-Summer is not a good time to be outdoors walking or biking if you can help it. 

 

Ds did ride his bike sometimes for transportation before he got his license, but only for the occasional trip to the convenience store or fast food. It's just not feasible where we live. Before he got his license I drove him to all activities and to friends' houses, but pretty much everything we did (and everyone we know) is at least 30 miles away. 

 

If we lived somewhere where walking was easier and/or had good public transportation, AND his friends lived closer,  I probably wouldn't have driven him around so much in his early teen years - before he started driving. 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

Yes, I expect my children to walk/take public transport.  I was walking a mile to a bus stop and then taking two public buses to school at 11.

 

The buses where we live are infrequent so we do give lifts a lot, but if there's time, they are expected to bus/walk.

 

When they were little, we didn't have a car.  I taught them early on to walk and not be carried.  If they needed a cuddle, I would stop dead, pick them up and cuddle them, but not move.  When the cuddle was over, I put them down and we went on walking.  At two, they were walking a few hundred yards to the shop, and we increased from there.

[regentrude]

  I taught them early on to walk and not be carried.  If they needed a cuddle, I would stop dead, pick them up and cuddle them, but not move.  When the cuddle was over, I put them down and we went on walking.  At two, they were walking a few hundred yards to the shop, and we increased from there.

 

I have often thought back at all the years of very slow walks and hikes at toddler's pace and found that it paid off marvelously to have all that patience back then. We could do fabulous hikes when they were in elementary, and backpacks in the middle grades, and I don't think it is because the kids are particularly athletically gifted, but because they were trained from an early age.

 

This summer, my DD walks 40 minutes to work in the mornings. ( In the evening when she is tired, she usually takes public transit).

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Yes, I expect my children to walk/take public transport.  I was walking a mile to a bus stop and then taking two public buses to school at 11.

 

The buses where we live are infrequent so we do give lifts a lot, but if there's time, they are expected to bus/walk.

 

When they were little, we didn't have a car.  I taught them early on to walk and not be carried.  If they needed a cuddle, I would stop dead, pick them up and cuddle them, but not move.  When the cuddle was over, I put them down and we went on walking.  At two, they were walking a few hundred yards to the shop, and we increased from there.

 

 

I have often thought back at all the years of very slow walks and hikes at toddler's pace and found that it paid off marvelously to have all that patience back then. We could do fabulous hikes when they were in elementary, and backpacks in the middle grades, and I don't think it is because the kids are particularly athletically gifted, but because they were trained from an early age.

 

This summer, my DD walks 40 minutes to work in the mornings. ( In the evening when she is tired, she usually takes public transit).

 

 

This is basically how we do it as well.  Although I admit to occasionally carrying the little guy... I figure it's good for upper body osteoporosis prevention!  lol.  He'll be 2 soon and can do a 3 mile round trip without carrying, assuming I have 1-2 hours to spend on it.  :-D  Seeing a dog in the far distance significantly increases his pace, so I always hope for friendly dogs on the way!

[foxbridgeacademy]

I don't make them walk in most cases.  To the little gas station that's not far if they want something then yes.  I think in the near future they'll start being more independent since we live on a bus route (it's not the greatest bus system), but only if they go together.... For me it's about safety and while I trust my kids I don't trust the rest of the World.  

[Laura Corin]

I don't make them walk in most cases.  To the little gas station that's not far if they want something then yes.  I think in the near future they'll start being more independent since we live on a bus route (it's not the greatest bus system), but only if they go together.... For me it's about safety and while I trust my kids I don't trust the rest of the World.  

 

Am I right from looking at your signature that two of your children are 15? 

[Bluegoat]

Same in Germany. Kids walk up to 20 minutes to elementary school, and as of 5th grade, often have to take public transit across town.

Parents walk the first grader on the first day, that's it.

There may be school buses in rural areas without public transit, and transportation services for youth with disabilities, but a non disabled 5th grader is expected to be able to use a bus, subway or street car without an adult.

 

This was true where I lived here in Canada as a child - I suspect the US was probably the same.  I walked about four blocks to school as a five year old.  And there were two high schools for the whole city, so some kids had to take a good long walk or take the bus.

 

School busses were for younger kids being bussed well outside a normal walking range for some reason, kids with disabilities, and rural areas.

 

At some point, there has been a significant cultural change, so now we have parents of middle school kids complaining they have to cross a busy road with signal lights, so they should be bussed, and even on a nice day the elementary school pick-up is almost exclusively parents with cars.