I wish my kid could walk to school by himself. He is in grade 1 and it is only a 3 block walk with one street to cross. Unfortunately he can't be trusted because often times he doesn't pay enough attention to his surroundings and he likes to fool around too much. He also has no sense of urgency. I'm certain that the 10 minute walk when I'm with him would probably take 30 minutes if he was on his own.
I'm campaigning for letting them walk to and from school by themselves at 8 and 6. My wife wants to wait longer. The school is effectively 3 blocks away with no busy streets other than school traffic.
There roaming zone in front of the house is about half way there already.
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I started walking to school when I was in the first grade. It didn't matter if it was snowing or raining there was no ride. On top of that both parents were working so we three kids would come home to an empty house. Dispite all that nothing bad ever happened to me or my sister and brother.
I started walking/ride bikes to school in about grade 3 or so.
Personal story: I lived up near John Laurie Bvd on Nose Hill and went to Banff Trail/Branton/Aberhart. This meant walking down 19th st, into what is officially "Canmore Park" but we always thought of as the Western end of Confederation Park, and then up the hill and on to whichever school.
We did this rain, snow, sleet, hail ... if you're following, that's down a hill, across a valley, and up a goddamn hill again. My brother, sister, and I actually did walk to school in the snow, uphill, both ways.
And the hill was always at the end.
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I'd do whatever police officers or ems would do for their own kids. I figure they know the communities and potential hazards better than anyone else.
When I was in elementary school some kids were allowed to go to the mall by themselves at eight years old. I think that's playing with fire. Those particular kids also ended up getting in with the wrong crowd as they got older.
I'd do whatever police officers or ems would do for their own kids. I figure they know the communities and potential hazards better than anyone else.
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What if two Police Officers disagree with each other?
My kids are 6 and 8, they always walk with mom and the dog to the end of our driveway where the bus picks them up and drops them off. Deer, large rabbits, coyotes, bear, cougars and moose are the main worries.
We are just starting our 9 yr old girl and 7 yr old boy start walking home. i had an extra company cell phone that i gave my daughter. This really helped my wife deal with the kids walking home alone.
How old before your kids can walk to school alone?
I'm not a parent so maybe that is why this is a thing I don't really understand. Every single metric, statistic, and study says a place like Calgary, or pretty much anywhere in the 1st world, is safer and less dangerous now than it's ever been, yet EVERYONE is so much more concerned about the potential of bad things happening (even me).
Like, why did your wife need them to have a cell phone? What is the issue that could arise that having a cell phone would solve? Or make better? I mean, I would probably feel better too, but it's really so irrational.
Is it TV? Movies? Is it that cell phones exist now, so not having the ability to be in contact seems so much scarier? Is it Amber Alerts and Nancy Grace?
Why, despite the vastly safer life kids lead today, are so many people so much more worried about them?
I'm not a parent so maybe that is why this is a thing I don't really understand. Every single metric, statistic, and study says a place like Calgary, or pretty much anywhere in the 1st world, is safer and less dangerous now than it's ever been, yet EVERYONE is so much more concerned about the potential of bad things happening (even me).
Like, why did your wife need them to have a cell phone? What is the issue that could arise that having a cell phone would solve? Or make better? I mean, I would probably feel better too, but it's really so irrational.
Is it TV? Movies? Is it that cell phones exist now, so not having the ability to be in contact seems so much scarier? Is it Amber Alerts and Nancy Grace?
Why, despite the vastly safer life kids lead today, are so many people so much more worried about them?
Media is different than it used to be and we don't know our neighbors as well.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by driveway
I'm not a parent so maybe that is why this is a thing I don't really understand. Every single metric, statistic, and study says a place like Calgary, or pretty much anywhere in the 1st world, is safer and less dangerous now than it's ever been, yet EVERYONE is so much more concerned about the potential of bad things happening (even me).
Like, why did your wife need them to have a cell phone? What is the issue that could arise that having a cell phone would solve? Or make better? I mean, I would probably feel better too, but it's really so irrational.
Is it TV? Movies? Is it that cell phones exist now, so not having the ability to be in contact seems so much scarier? Is it Amber Alerts and Nancy Grace?
Why, despite the vastly safer life kids lead today, are so many people so much more worried about them?
Growing up most mothers stayed home to raise the kids and generaly people knew their neighbours well. Today we live in a 24/7 society where both parents have to work to pay the mortgage and all the other life essentails. Parents today don't always have the luxury my parents had where everyone kept an eye on each others kids.
There's also the issue of parents sometimes being over protective of their children. Cell phones didn't exist when I was growing up and the only option we had to keep in contact was a phone booth, if there was one nearby. My parents had to rely on trust that everything would be okay.
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I'd also bet that helicopter parenting makes our kids less self reliant and capable and less likely to be sent out alone. A progression of letting them take small risks, and learn from reasonable failures would give parents confidence to do things like let them walk to school.
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I'd also bet that helicopter parenting makes our kids less self reliant and capable and less likely to be sent out alone. A progression of letting them take small risks, and learn from reasonable failures would give parents confidence to do things like let them walk to school.
Oh yeah, big time. I'm not a parent, and can see this (through work). The amount of helicopter parenting is getting ridiculous, and it's to the point where it's not enough to helicopter your own kids, now you need to helicopter any kid you see you feel isn't being helicoptered enough by their parents.
Oh yeah, big time. I'm not a parent, and can see this (through work). The amount of helicopter parenting is getting ridiculous, and it's to the point where it's not enough to helicopter your own kids, now you need to helicopter any kid you see you feel isn't being helicoptered enough by their parents.
I know that I've pressed to make sure that my kids can do things on their own in general. I am a big believer in the idea of being a parent is to basically make yourself obsolete. They probably get tired of hearing me say "you're not a baby you can do that" or "I'm not your slave". To me, your kids learn nothing if you do everything for them, and that includes driving them to and from school and not giving them any independence at all. Its hilarious how we all want "walkable schools" and that is a major selling point for homes, and at 3:15pm rain or shine there are dozens of parents at the school to pick up their kids.
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