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Walk to school alone?

Janet - posted on 11/07/2008 ( 1 mom has responded )

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Hi NYC moms! I wanted to post specifically in the NYC Moms group b/c I feel we have a different kind of atmosphere here that will elicit different responses in comparison to places outside NYC. My question is very simple. I'm just curious to know....at what age did you start allowing your children to walk to school alone? That's my main question, but if anyone would like to elaborate, that would be great as well. For example, how far away from the school do you live? Does your child walk alone or with friends? In addition, for the working parents who need after-school child care, at what age did you start to let your child walk home alone right after school & be home alone for a few hours before you got home from work? Responses/opinions would be greatly appreciated!

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Patrycja - posted on 12/07/2008

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Hi,

My son is almost 10 and I do not let him walk to or from school alone yet. However, several kids in his elementary school do walk to school alone or with friends and his school does offer the option to let 5th graders walk home alone if the parent sends a signed release.



I think this decision depends on where you live. There are neighborhoods where I feel it is safer to let children walk around on their own and others where I would not let a kid out of my sight. Also, the route itself should be a basis for this decision: how far you are from the school, if there are major/busy roads to cross, or parks/solitary areas for that matter. This decision should also be based on your child's personality and sense of responsibility.



I recently saw a piece on NY1 (I believe) about a woman in NYC who was writting a book or doing a study on the actual number of children that either get abducted or go missing (which is absurdly small in relation to the number of kids living happily and sefely in NYC and the US) and how this has a huge impact on our own actions in caring and protecting our children. Basically her theory is that we are over-protective and overly cautious based on what the figures actually are. The most interesting part of the piece was that she had a son who was either 10 or 11 who regularly rode the subway and went to school by himself. According to the piece, he had been doing so since he was about 8.

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