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like grown up enough to walk to school by themselves for example?
Mine walked to school alone in 1st grade, so 6 years old. They walked with a group of friends from the neighborhood and didn't have too far to go (7 blocks, iiRC).
My grandchildren can't ever walk - too far and too dangerous with no sidewalks, crossing guards and lots of cars so they take the school bus and they are 12 and 14.
we let our girls walk the mile to school in our neighborhood when they were 6 but they always walked with a group of kids and at least 1 adult. They started walking- just the two of them- in 4th grade.
My kids never walked to school by themselves, as they never lived within walking distance. But, I don't consider that as a marker of being "grown up". To me, that means being mature enough to not need parental oversight and being capable of making responsible choices on their own. I'd say that happened when they left for college. They(the kids) would probably lower that to the high school years, but because the school required parental permission for class schedules, absent days, driving to campus, etc, etc, they weren't considered grownups until graduation.
I walked to school by myself starting in kindergarten, but I never thought I was grown up, it was just the norm then.
My kids never walked to school by themselves, as they never lived within walking distance. But, I don't consider that as a marker of being "grown up". To me, that means being mature enough to not need parental oversight and being capable of making responsible choices on their own. I'd say that happened when they left for college. They(the kids) would probably lower that to the high school years, but because the school required parental permission for class schedules, absent days, driving to campus, etc, etc, they weren't considered grownups until graduation.
I walked to school by myself starting in kindergarten, but I never thought I was grown up, it was just the norm then.
My older two are 34 and 32. One has a Ph.D. and is a university professor. Both have successful careers and relationships but to me they are still not "grown up".
My husband doesn't want the kids out of his sight for even a minute. Our oldest is 14. He still doesn't want her to go to the bathroom in a store without me going with her, or to go in a different aisle unless he can see her from where he is. He was talking about how she'll be driving in a couple of years, and I pointed out that it doesn't make sense to never let the kid be more than ten feet from you her whole life and then suddenly give her a car and let her go everywhere by herself.
My kids go to online school, so walking to school hasn't been an issue for us for several years. When my kids still went to their old school, it was two blocks away, but we rode our bikes there, then locked their bikes up at the bike rack. When it was time for them to come home, I'd ride back to the school and we'd all ride home together. My youngest was in second grade and the teachers wouldn't let her go to the bike rack and meet me there because they were afraid she'd ride home alone. I had to pick her up from the front of the school and then we'd go get the bike together.
My oldest son is grown up. He is 22. My middle son is also grown up. He is 20. Neither of them ever walked to school alone. When they were young we lived too far for them to walk to school. When we moved closer to their school the oldest had a drivers license so they drove to school. I don't think walking to school is what makes a child grown up.
no its called learning about money, respect, and street smarts and responsibility then they are grown
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