Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
She also didn't say anything about it being better to leave the kid home with a babysitter, just said no to leaving kid home alone and talked about the possibility of being in a car accident - no mention of babysitter at all so why would I start talking about other possibilities? And that's not the first time I've heard the argument and every time I've heard it the parent literally meant that they wouldn't want to leave the child home in case they got into a car accident and after someone points out that its better not to have the child involved in the accident they've realised themselves how silly that argument is.
What could go wrong when walking through a forest compared to walking anywhere else? Well actually a lot less as there are no cars in the forest so there's no chance of her getting run over. Have to wonder how much experience you have of forests if the thought of a 6 year old walking through one alone is so worrying - what do you think could happen?
Edit: She's walking through the forest alone right now to practice the route to school - I'm watching her progress on my phone thanks to the wonders of GPS and will follow behind once she's got far enough ahead that I won't catch up until she reaches the school. We'll probably go get an ice cream after that and then I'll send her on ahead again to practice the way back.
Lots of things could go wrong when a 6 year old walks through the forest. Lots of things could go wrong when she is sitting at home watching TV. Good for you to teach your child about self-sufficiency.
I don't have any kids of my own (despite older than most first time parents) but I do remember being allowed to stay home alone as early as age 4. I never ventured out of the home when my parents were away but I do remember one time when I fell off of a toy car when my parents were away that left me with a small scar on my head to this day.
Lots of things could go wrong when a 6 year old walks through the forest. Lots of things could go wrong when she is sitting at home watching TV. Good for you to teach your child about self-sufficiency.
Yup.
She actually got lost and guess what she did? Stayed put where she was and pressed the call button on her phone to alert me and OH that there was a problem, which was exactly what I've been teaching her to do so was proud of her for handling it the correct way (she had missed the turning onto the right path)
7 & under - Should not be left alone for any period of time. This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards. The determining consideration would be the dangers in the environment and the ability of the caretaker to intervene.
8 to 10 years - Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.
11 to 12 years - May be left alone for up to 3 hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility.
13 to 15 years - May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.
16 to 17 years - May be left unsupervised (in some cases, for up to two consecutive overnight periods)."
It would be near impossible to get to a store, buy something, and be back home in 5 minutes, no matter how close you live. Assuming it is really 15 minutes minimum, I think mine were about 9 or 10.
I agree. And there is always the chance that something will happen to make it even longer. My son was about 9 or 10 also. Old enough to deal with a minor emergency and to understand about strangers coming to the door, etc.
I had an "Archimedes" (in the bathtub) moment today. It occurred to me that a kid old enough for the parents to even contemplate leaving home alone for all of five minutes is also old enough to take along without much effort. It seems like it would be more effort to ask a neighbor to watch the house, etc, than to just take the child with you. Also, in general, who makes trips of 5 min? If I'm going out, unless it's an emergency, I'll do several errands or buy more than one item at the store.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
