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Author Topic: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?  (Read 533 times)

Offline just_taking_a_peek

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At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« on: August 10, 2011, 07:39:25 AM »
My oldest is begging to walk home in the afternoons, and I am completely on the fence about it.

Being familiar with the traffic patterns after school - what do yall think?
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Offline Indifferent

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2011, 12:57:11 PM »
we let our daughter begin walking home in the 3rd grade with some of the nieghbor kids so there was a group. and even then on special occasions. When she was in 4th and 5th she walked/biked with much more regularity. i have seen Kindergardeners on up walking solo. i do not support those decisions.
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Offline just_taking_a_peek

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2011, 01:49:14 PM »
Quote from: Indifferent on August 10, 2011, 12:57:11 PM
we let our daughter begin walking home in the 3rd grade with some of the nieghbor kids so there was a group. and even then on special occasions. When she was in 4th and 5th she walked/biked with much more regularity. i have seen Kindergardeners on up walking solo. i do not support those decisions.

Oh, I agree, definitely not kindergarten!
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Offline drax0r

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2011, 01:57:44 PM »
I can't speak for the circumstances at Rattan - but my kiddo started walking to/from JKB in 3rd grade (largely due to discontinuation of bus service) - I think he would have been ok a little earlier in the right circumstances.

There were younger kids (of friends of ours) that were allowed to walk as long as everyone understood that they were to walk as a pack.

Then again, we don't have to cross and streets and have continuous sidewalks between the 'hood and the school, so that made the decision easier.

Ultimately, just like deciding when to let your kid stay home alone, I think it should depend largely on the individual child and their level of independence and responsibility - and nobody's a better judge of that than his parents.

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Online JEB

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2011, 02:52:34 PM »
If he thinks he is ready why not give him a chance to prove it rather than signal to him that he is incapable of such a simple task. 
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Offline Kelly123

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2011, 03:40:14 PM »
I understand that we need to give our kids more freedom, but I just can not do that.  I still walk my 2nd and 4th grader to the bus stop and am there when they are dropped off.  I have two ideas. 1. Contact Rattan's PTA and see if they can help set up a walking group with parents.  2. Drop off fliers in your neighborhood and see if you can put a walking group together.  I can tell you if my kids had to walk I would be willing to do this. I hope this helps and good luck.
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Offline plumbob

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2011, 04:18:11 PM »
Most the kids walking home from Rattan are all in the street or running across it without looking.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to honk for them to get out of the middle of the street and they will just look at me like they belong there.  I am very suprised one has not been hit.  I can't believe how many parents either don't care or don't know how thier children are walking home from school.

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Offline just_taking_a_peek

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2011, 04:30:27 PM »
Quote from: Kelly123 on August 10, 2011, 03:40:14 PM
I understand that we need to give our kids more freedom, but I just can not do that.  I still walk my 2nd and 4th grader to the bus stop and am there when they are dropped off.  I have two ideas. 1. Contact Rattan's PTA and see if they can help set up a walking group with parents.  2. Drop off fliers in your neighborhood and see if you can put a walking group together.  I can tell you if my kids had to walk I would be willing to do this. I hope this helps and good luck.

I don't want him to walk THAT bad. I'm home anyway and that's more effort than I'm willing to put in to letting him walk home, LOL.

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Online JEB

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2011, 04:34:44 PM »
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Offline Chili Palmer

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2011, 05:18:02 PM »
Quote from: JEB on August 10, 2011, 04:34:44 PM


http://mommyish.com/childrearing/parents-nightmare-brooklyn-boy-abducted-on-first-walk-home-from-school-found-dismembered/

I don't believe the OP has stated the age of her child.  I don't have kids.  My thoughts?  If you aren't sure, trust your gut and wait.  If overprotecting your kids is the worst thing that ever happens to them, good for you!
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Online JEB

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2011, 12:02:10 AM »
While that is a tragic story, it's the rare exception.  Thousands of kids walk everyday without incident just in Brooklyn alone.

I suppose I should stop driving and never leave the house for fear of getting in a fatal car accident.  But then my house might get hit by a meteor.  I guess I should just dig myself a bunker and stay inside there. 

I do have kids and I hope to raise them to be independent and self reliant (isn't that the American ideal?), rather than anxious and scared of everything.  They have legs, and they'll need to use them to get to school once they reach an age and maturity level where they are capable to do so.  That's going to be different for every child, but like I mentioned above they will usually signal to you when they are ready.
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Offline Chili Palmer

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2011, 07:24:06 AM »
I have direct experience with this topic.  My nephew was allowed to walk 2 blocks home when he was in 2nd grade.

One night around 7 I got a call saying he hadn't come home.  It was a traumatic experience.  He and a friend decided to explore a drainage ditch halfway home.  At around 9pm the police brought them home.  They followed the ditch until it ended at a major street, after dark, and someone called the police.

This topic deals with 2 factors mainly.  You can't fully rely on children, and you can't trust all adults.  I will always end up on the safer side of this topic.  My sister was at home, 2 blocks away and thanks directly to God, it didn't end tragically.

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Offline Indifferent

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #12 on: August 11, 2011, 12:24:39 PM »
agreed Chili, my daughter knows darn well she better be home within the allotted time and one day she wasnt. i hopped up and drove the route to find her a couple other kids hanging out in the woods just around the corner. but again, i went looking immediately as soon as the typical time of 30 minutes had elapsed. that was enough panic time for me, i cannot imagine several hours.
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Offline RedHighHeels

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Re: At what age would you be comfortable with your child walking home from Rattan?
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2011, 05:17:06 PM »
Quote from: JEB on August 10, 2011, 04:34:44 PM


Ha!  Hahaha!  Hahahahahaha!  I have been called one of those before, by the very person who expects me to watch their kids while they act like little asses because they are never supervised. 
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