At what age can kids go out sledding by themselves?
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Anonymous
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We started letting our older kid go by himself at 10 but the sledding hill is a quarter mile from the house and there are always tons of parents there. Plus all his neighborhood friends. We don’t let the younger one go on her own or with her brother yet. He wouldn’t supervise and she wouldn’t listen. She will play in the yard today most likely.
It sounds like you live fairly far out if there are woods, so your yard may be nice? They can have a lot of fun out there including pulling each other around on sleds. |
Anonymous
I mean, if he's just drafting/reviewing and not doing any meetings, he should be able to do it. I'm a lawyer and I started working at 6:30 specifically so I'd have have some flexibility today. |
Anonymous
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I'd pay a teen to take them.
You H is a lawyer and your are a big deal as well, you can get off the dime and pay someone to take them. |
Anonymous
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No. If something happens (broken arm/etc) you want them to walk .75 home in the snow/ice? What would normally take 15 minutes will take an hour in the snow.
If an adult can’t go to monitor, you don’t let them go. |
Anonymous
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Please think about the conditions today. If my kids were sledding I'd make them wear a helmet. The snow is extremely hard packed. I can envision lots of injuries in these conditions.
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Anonymous
Welcome to DC. I am also a lawyer AND a director of a big group. And so is my husband. I am taking leave to watch my kids. 
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Anonymous
| How did this turn into sanctimommy wars? Some of you are insufferable. |
Anonymous
Maybe reconsider your career choices if you can’t spend an hour or 2 with your kids on a snow day. Why’d you have 3 kids if your jobs are so important to you? |
Anonymous
| Depends if the 6 year old has common sense. Assuming they do, I'd let them go. Younger kids often stay back and don't handle scary runs they aren't prepared for, or older kids might sled with them. Thing that might happen is, "hey, there's another great hill ..." somewhere else, a few streets away. Off they go. We get a lot of kids who hear of our hill in our backyard. It's a sledding dream. But we say, "no sledding without your parents here" |
Anonymous
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I was babysitting when I was 11. My sister and I went into Boston on the T together at 11 and 10.
A responsible 11 year old is fine with a 6 year old. |
Anonymous
The one thing though is to make sure the 11 year old gets some kind of compensation for babysitting and to make sure they have agency in the decision. You have to be careful not to just have this default of an older sibling providing childcare. |
Anonymous
Because OP is insufferable. Have you read her posts. |
Anonymous
| It’s fine. People are so paranoid. Give the 11 year old a phone so that he can call if there’s a problem. Happy sledding, kids! |
Anonymous
A phone won't matter. Op is too busy and important to answer her kid's calls much less take time to go to the sledding hill if there's a problem. |
Anonymous
| OP, most adults do not get snow days. About the only people who do are teachers. What are your neighbors doing? |