OT - At what age did you allow your child to walk home by him/herself?

[dvcdisney]

We are having a discussion about this now. Just wondering when did you let your child walk home by him/herself? This is assuming it's an walking distance.

Thanks for any replies.

Sorry, I cannot seem to figure out how to edit the poll...for the 10 and under, I mean 9 or 10 years old and for the 12 and under, I mean 11 or 12. Sorry. I just realized it when I saw it.

 

[CanadianPaco]

DD was 11 and I was a wreck!

 

[bubba]

DS10 picks up DS6 from his locker and they walk home together. Now, they don't have to cross any streets, in fact they have to cross the school field, through a catwalk and they are on our (very short) street. The first couple months, I was a wreck and if they were later than I thought they should be I would go out looking for them . They know now not to dawdle and mummy will be happy !

 

[cdnmickeylover]

DS was about 8 when he walked most of the way to school and home by himself. He was and is pretty independent though. When he was about 6 I was late picking him up at school (maybe 5 minutes) and he promptly walked himself home -- this would have been fine except that I went to the school and didn't find him so went home and found his bag on the porch and panicked because he didn't have a key to the house and he wasn't there. Turns out he'd walked to the university where I was going to school and looked for me there and then walked himself home again. He thought nothing of it and told me that he was just meeting me at my school. I was a wreck though and told him that from then on he had to wait for me at school.

 

[disneynuts777]

Older DD was in grade 6 and she would P/U DD in grade 3 at her coat hook. They had to cross one major street that had a crossing guard and a small residental road by themselves. They phoned me at work as soon as they walked in the door. I was also lucky that my very nice retired neighbours watched out for them as well.
Younger DD started walking home alone in grade 6 as her older DD had gone on to high school. She is now in grade 7 and things have gone well.
Good luck!!

 

[mommytodarlings]

my oldest dd is 7 and I still walk her to school. She is looking forward to walking herself and her little brothers, they are in SK & JK right now.

 

[SandraC]

The school is in our backyard....4 minute walk door to door. DS was born in the winter when dd was 6 years old, so often I let her walk home at age 6 so I didn't have to drag an infant into the freeze. I stood at my back door waiting for her and watched her walk the whole way.

She was in grade 4 or 5 when I stopped watching, but there was a mass exodus at school and all the moms watch each others kids so I knew all would be well.

DS is now 9 years old and in a different school, about 7 minutes walk from home, but I don't let him walk home alone yet. He is in grade 3. I think I'll start letting him walk in grade 4.

S

 

[Northstar]

DD just walks home from her school bus stop, a 5-minute walk on subdivision streets. So she's been doing it since about age 7. Her school is about 4 km away and across a very busy road. She has walked home from the school once or twice with friends and a mom to accompany them as far as over the busy road.

 

[roscoepc1]

Depending on maturity, 8. But we live in a teeny tiny country village....there's only one street I get nervous about them crossing.

 

[canadaman]

My DS 7 started walking to school last year. Mind you it is only half a block to school with a crossing gaurd at the only street crossing.

 

[kelsco99]

I walked and picked up my kids at bus stop which is basically at the end our street in a subdivision until they were 7 and 8. Now I just walk them to the bus stop but that is really only because it coincides with when I walk the dog and before I start work. Otherwise, I would let them go on their own. They are now 9 and 10.

 

[dvcdisney]

Thank for the votes and comments.

I really appreciate them. It's great to hear some experiences. This is a difficult decision for us.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

At 10, DS started walking home from school (which was right at the end of our street) by himself. A very short distance and a good way to ease a nervous mom and dad into the whole "growing up" stage.

At 11, he started senior elementary which is further away and he had to walk along a 4-lane highway (with sidewalks,and crosswalks on the route, and crossing guards in certain areas). He almost always met up with a buddy and walked together most of the way. That was a comfort. (all the kids at his school are "walkers".....so there's lots of children out and about during the before and after-school time periods).

At 12, he got a paper route and was out daily, rain/shine/snow/or otherwise, mostly by himself. Just around our block, of course, but out of sight of the house nonetheless.

He's now 13. He still walks to and from school everyday, and usually still with a friend or two.

 

[suejai]

DS was in grade 1 when he started walking by himself, but we live in a smaller town and our house is a block and a half from the school. when he started going to the bigger school and had to cross the highway I would drive him to myoffice (I was lucky enough to work in the same town and close to the school) and then he would walk the rest of the way.

 

[Oshawa]

My two boys are 8 and 10. I still have not let them walk home from school alone. They would have to cross a very busy street with no crossing guard. It's not them I don't trust it's the crazy drivers!

 

[Vijoge]

My boys rode the bus until the oldest was in second grade as they attended a magnet school that was several miles from home. Then they changed schools and the new school was just under a mile from home. That's when they began walking-at least when the weather was nice. I did drive them when it was really cold or storming. They were about 6 and 9 at this point, I think.

My granddaughters walk to school daily. They are 9 and 11. It's only about 3 1/2 blocks for them though.

A large number of neighborhood kids walk to school here.

 

[drag n' fly]

I remember it being about 10 or 11