Kids playing outside - Parenting question

[Poohforyou]

When dd14 was 6 we moved into our current neighborhood. There were finally other girls for her to play with. At that age she was allowed to play in our yard or the yard next door where a friend lived. She knew to come in if anything seemed funny.

I had a friend who dd didn't know test her. She drove by the house and asked dd for help finding where a neighbor lived. Dd came right inside and got me. She didn't approach the car or even speak to my friend. I knew then that dd could be trusted following basic safety rules.

Her boundaries were extended farther and farther as she got older.

Our old neighborhood wasn't conducive to dd running around playing. She was allowed in our yard for short periods without an adult around age 5.

 

[disney1990]

At 6 mine were walking to school either alone or with a friend. Started playing in our yard alone at about 5.

 

[aprilchem]

My kids are 4, 6, and 8 and they have the run of the neighborhood, with all the other neighborhood kids that are also running around. They ride bikes (on the sidewalk), can walk down the street to the end of the block, and can follow the alley back home. We know all our neighbors very well, and they can go to any of their houses (and often do); sometimes we'll get a crowd in our house as well. On a warm day, they're usually out the door by 9, come in for lunch, and then go out until dinner (and we have to drag them all in the house for that). In the summer, they're back outside again until bedtime. You can imagine how dirty they are!

I do check on them, but not every 5 minutes. Usually the other moms (and the elderly neighbors whose children are grown) and I will text each other if they go inside somebody's house, just so we know where they are. Otherwise I can usually hear the racket even if they're all the way down the block!

 

[disney4us2002]

Do you know what the laws are for your state as far as being left alone unsupervised? I can tell you that we (I work for the state) accept reports for neglect for kids under age 8 for being outside unsupervised.

I didn't feel comfortable with my own boys outside til they were at least 8 but mostly because they loved an adventure and we live surrounded by woods. If they heard something in the woods they always wanted to go investigate.

 

[aprilchem]

Do you know what the laws are for your state as far as being left alone unsupervised? I can tell you that we (I work for the state) accept reports for neglect for kids under age 8 for being outside unsupervised.

I didn't feel comfortable with my own boys outside til they were at least 8 but mostly because they loved an adventure and we live surrounded by woods. If they heard something in the woods they always wanted to go investigate.

My state has no minimum legal age for leaving a child unsupervised. And if somebody wanted to report me, they'd have to report about 200 other children in my town. We're a very small-town 1950s atmosphere, so pretty much all the kids are free-range. My kids are routinely out and about with a local policeman's child who is the same age as my youngest daughter, so I think I'm probably safe

 

[brockash]

at 5 I still hung outside on the porch. I have 3 kids (now 12/10/10), usually they were out together. now they are out on their own and I'd say its been a few years since I stayed outside when they were. and when I did start letting them out on their own, they were allowed in the backyard before alone in the front yard. Just what I was comfortable with personally.

I agree. - For me 5 (especially without an older sibling) is too young, even when we lived in a very quiet neighborhood, in a culda-sac on a military base.

 

[Hannathy]

Do you know what the laws are for your state as far as being left alone unsupervised? I can tell you that we (I work for the state) accept reports for neglect for kids under age 8 for being outside unsupervised.

I didn't feel comfortable with my own boys outside til they were at least 8 but mostly because they loved an adventure and we live surrounded by woods. If they heard something in the woods they always wanted to go investigate.

That's absolutely ridiculous especially when there are children being abused, beaten, starved, burned and other horrendous things being done to them for any child welfare office to investigate neglect for an 8 yr old to be outside playing!!! When all the abused children are protected and investigated then investigate an 8 yr old playing. I have heard stupid, wasting of tax money but this one ranks way up there!

How do these children get themselves to school?

They'd be investigating thousands of children in my town because the vast majority of kids walk to school! And since Kindergarten starts at 5......

 

[Poohforyou]

Do you know what the laws are for your state as far as being left alone unsupervised? I can tell you that we (I work for the state) accept reports for neglect for kids under age 8 for being outside unsupervised.

I didn't feel comfortable with my own boys outside til they were at least 8 but mostly because they loved an adventure and we live surrounded by woods. If they heard something in the woods they always wanted to go investigate.

Are you kidding me?!!! An 8 year old child outside riding a bike, shooting hoops, drawing with chalk is at risk of being reported? How about going after real at risk kids. Just because your kids can't obey rules and go where they shouldn't doesn't mean all kids will. We have woods behind us. Dd was told at 6 not to go in there and she never did.

Like many others I believe in safety by number. Even at 14 I'd rather dd go somewhere with a friend than by herself. Luckily she would rather have a friend along.

 

[cristit14]

In the front yard Dd was almost 8 and DS was 5. That is when we moved to this neighborhood. Our other house had people driving too fast down it so not out front unless we were there too. Out back probably 3 and 5 together if I was in the kitchen to peek out at them

 

[Kitty 34]

My boys were 4 when they played outside but the neighborhood was a dead end street in small town America and the neighbors were my sister's family and brother's family and their kids. As they got a little older they could play in the wooded area behind the house.

Like someone stated.....it really depends on where you live!

 

[Colleen27]

I think it depends heavily on where you live. DD5 started playing out front from time to time last summer, when she was newly 5, but we live in a very quiet community and know our neighbors well. The only time she wants to play out front is to color the sidewalk with her chalk, since there isn't any paved space in the backyard, but she's been playing in our fenced yard without me outside since she was 3. The rule is "Take the dog" - no one, not even people we know well, can get near the fence when she's out there without the dog alerting me. Out front we don't have that warning system so I keep a closer eye on her if she's out there without one of her siblings.

 

[mom2rtk]

We live in a pretty safe neighborhood but the cars can go pretty fast in my section. I just didn't feel comfortable with that.

That's a pretty important variable. We live on a street that only runs for one block, so cars can't build up much speed. Other streets to allow for cars to build up more speed. That's an important consideration.

 

[Colleen27]

Do you know what the laws are for your state as far as being left alone unsupervised? I can tell you that we (I work for the state) accept reports for neglect for kids under age 8 for being outside unsupervised.

Seriously? You'd investigate a report of a 5yo coloring with sidewalk chalk or a 7yo walking herself to school? Doesn't such a restrictive policy invite CPS involvement in neighborhood disputes? If we had any such law I'm sure I'd have run afoul of it on many occasions, owing to a neighbor who liked to call the police about the kids playing basketball in the middle of the day (his wife was trying to nap) and "defacing" the sidewalks with chalk. Scary to think that in another state a crotchety old neighbor would have the power to make that a matter for protective services.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I did not allow mine to play outside unsupervised until they were in 3rd grade. We live on 4+ heavily wooded acres backing up to a State Park. We have black bears that roam freely and they especially love my kids swingset

 

[jodifla]

Mine was 5 when I let him play out front on his own. He's a noisy kid though, so I just had my windows open so I could hear him.

 

[Kerrio929]

My girls are 8 and almost 6 and last summer when they were 7/5 was the first year I let then out in the backyard without me. And we live in a small neighborhood that's not a thoroughfare to anywhere else. So no traffic unless you live and/or are visiting the neighborhood. We are also dead in the back so we don't get much traffic. I still won't let them out in the front yard without myself or another adult (if they are playing with neighbors and their parent is out) bc there are a few teens in our hood who like to drive faster than they should. My oldest is very good about keeping an eye on the youngest and they don't go to anyone's house without telling me first.

 

[Kerrio929]

My kids are 4, 6, and 8 and they have the run of the neighborhood, with all the other neighborhood kids that are also running around. They ride bikes (on the sidewalk), can walk down the street to the end of the block, and can follow the alley back home. We know all our neighbors very well, and they can go to any of their houses (and often do); sometimes we'll get a crowd in our house as well. On a warm day, they're usually out the door by 9, come in for lunch, and then go out until dinner (and we have to drag them all in the house for that). In the summer, they're back outside again until bedtime. You can imagine how dirty they are! I do check on them, but not every 5 minutes. Usually the other moms (and the elderly neighbors whose children are grown) and I will text each other if they go inside somebody's house, just so we know where they are. Otherwise I can usually hear the racket even if they're all the way down the block!

This is how kids should be! Outside, soaking up that fresh air and having good old fun! No screens, just imaginations! Good for you and your neighbors for allowing it to happen!

 

[powellrj]

When I read threads like this, it makes me glad my kids are older and were able to enjoy life without me hovering over them all the time. We live on a street with no sidewalks and lots of cars. They had the run of the neighborhood and so did the rest of the kids that lived on our block.

 

[mco65]

Probably around the age of 6 or 7. We live in a small culdesac neighborhood with a half dozen or more kids who all play outside in the same general area.

 

[soccerdad72]

Probably around 4 or 5, I would let them play either on the driveway out front or in the back yard. We would check on them periodically. We live in a cul-de-sac, though, so it's pretty quiet. And our backyard backed up to other neighbors who our kids play with.