Posts: 153
7/3/11 12:44 P

I have a 6 year old and an 8 year old and there is NO way I would consider it. I see young children walking on their own all the time and I have seen how distracted they get. My children won't be walking on their own until they are 12+

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7/2/11 8:04 A

My child takes the bus, but there is no way i would let them walk a block by themselves, not yet.

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5/18/11 1:54 P

If you have trouble getting the girls to walk correctly across the street when you are then then they really shouldn't be doing it alone.

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5/18/11 10:42 A

No my 6 year old gets pickup at house by his school bus,

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5/17/11 1:34 A

No - my 5 and 7 year old daughters walk with me or are driven by me or my husband. I think they could walk safely as far as crossing streets - but I don't think they are able to protect themselves from a predator.

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5/16/11 11:44 A

I walk with my kindergardener and 4th grader every day. They're 6 and 9 and I still don't allow them to walk to and from school alone. We live 1/2 mile and other kids in the neighborhood walk, but I just don't feel comfortable with it yet. My 6 year old is too young and my 9 year old tends to be spacey at times. Until I am 100% comfortable, I won't let them walk alone, no matter how inconvenient it is. Some things can be trial and error. But it only takes 1 time getting hit by a car or kidnapped to make it not worth the risk. That's my opinion.

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4/20/11 1:12 P

Hi I have a nine year old and last year she wanted to walk on her own and I wouldn't even consider it. she now schools out of town and I have to drive her so I have avoided making that walk decision full stop now. There is no way on gods earth I would have let her walk on her own at the age of 5 and her school was literally down the street across two roads one quiet the other outside the school. She was in day care after school for part of that year and the childminder who lived around the corner collected her and dropped her off as was necessary, and she had little ones they would go in the buggy or walk if they could. Just the same as mums who have two or more children do. You wouldn't let your child walk to school on it's own just because you had a toddler because it was inconvenient would you? I think it's pretty bad that your childminder/ day care provider doesn't pick up from school she isn't much use as a childminder if you have to leave work to collect your child then drop her off and go back to work that's ridiculous. I'd rethink your arrangements, even if your child does love her she'll get over it you can't stick with one thing over a more suitable one just because it will upset her a bit there are plenty of things out there she'll have to cope with later a little upset now will build her up.
sorry if I sound harsh I'm just quite shocked at the lack of service you are being provided with

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4/15/11 1:41 P

If you are really serious about this you should watch from a far & see if you approve but I wouldn't do this b/c they are too young esp. in kindergarten. I did not let my daughter walk home until 3rd grade & was @least 8 yrs + 3 months. Plus she walks home w/ other kids.

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4/15/11 11:25 A

It's just a small home daycare, and she often has a couple infants and it's just not practical for her to walk over to the school with all the daycare kids and pick up our girls.

I guess we could put her in the YMCA - they do have transportation. But she LOVES this woman that we've been going to for almost 4 years. Like a grandma to her.

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4/15/11 8:03 A

I would not let them do it. If they are not consistently crossing the street correctly, They are not ready. Plus at that age, they become distracted way too easily. Our school this year (in SC) and our school last year (in VA) did not allow walkers w/o guardians until they were in the second grade. mentally, they are just not ready for the myriad of decisions that can happen while walking to school. I also agree with the previous post, there are a lot of sickos out there. One question though, if he or she is at a daycare, why are they not the ones getting the children to school?

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4/14/11 3:43 P

I would not let a kindergarner walk anywhere alone even one block this is a sick world forget about the cars....think about warped sick mined people.....

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4/14/11 3:30 P

My daughter is in Kindergarten. She goes to a home daycare that is literally a block away from the school, but across one slightly busy street (that's even busier when school gets out for the day).

We have been coordinating with another parent to walk the girls to daycare in the afternoons.

But quite frankly, it's becoming a pain in the @ss. I have to break away from work to come get them.

And I've seen other kids their age walking alone. At the beginning of the school year, they wouldn't let any Kindergartners walk home alone - but it's been almost the whole year now!

I'm considering talking to the other parents and seeing if we want to let them walk by themselves starting in May. Then we could get the feel for if they're ready to walk alone starting next year, in 1st grade.

Only thing is...they really aren't that great at crossing the street. We tell them over and over to stop and look but they aren't very good at it. What if my child gets hit by a car because I'm too busy/lazy to walk her to daycare?

What would you do?