latchkey for 30 minutes?

[Anonymous]

Check your state regulations - in MD, kids should be 8 to be at home alone. I walked home alone from 2nd grade - every day at home for 2-3 hours after school - did not turn out scarred, although I cannot quite imagine doing the same with my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9 or 4th grade.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

At age 7. She has to call me when she gets home (she walks in, locks the door, uses the bathroom, then calls me).

[Anonymous]

Op, I am in your shoes with a 4 th grader and i won't do it . This is not about apron strings....DS is very mature, will do homework, will not get in trouble at all but the idea of walking 3 blocks alone, coming in to house alone, i am not comfortable with yet. I found a home schooled teen in the neighborhood who will meet his bus once a week. I leave him alone now and with sib while i run errands, take sibling to practice, etc. so, again, not overly protective but for some reason feel like i need one more year. Our older son started coming in alone at 6 th grade for 30 min but even then my mom friemds at the bus stop knew he was alone and kinda kept an eye on him as he headed down our street alone.

[Anonymous]

OP, if it's any consolation, my 10 y.o. will be doing a latchkey trial for about 2 hours at a time this year (if it turns out to be a horrible idea, it'll change). We are doing this because the only aftercare game in town is a program where they can't do their homework (I know, right?), and the homework load is gettting serious.

The rules include a phone call upon arrival or the cops get called, and a heavy duty homework check once I get home. My child is up for it and wants to do it. I've made it REALLY clear that if it doesn't work, all hell will break loose.

I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but the options are slim.

[Anonymous]

We live in DC and in 5th grade my daughter had to start some of this. After school she had to take the metro then walk about 10 blocks to home (or wait for the bus) and be home alone for about an hour. First, I got her a cell phone (she had to call me at all stopping (transition points - bus-metro-bus/walk-home), then we went over the routes, the rules of the metro and of walking along city streets. I then ran through the process with her on a weekend where I explained everything as I was doing it, the next outing I let her do everything on her own (without me saying anything). Finally, I let her do it on her own with me secretly following/watching her. It was the same thing for when she was in the house alone. I told her the rules and then would do things like call the house (in disguised voice and ask for a parent to see what she would say, etc). The main point is go over the process with her and quiz her about what she would do in various situations/emergencies, and then test her to ensure she understand. While we don't want to scare them, we do need to give them the information so they are prepared. Good Luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check your state regulations - in MD, kids should be 8 to be at home alone. I walked home alone from 2nd grade - every day at home for 2-3 hours after school - did not turn out scarred, although I cannot quite imagine doing the same with my kids.

It's funny how MD has that regulation, yet there's no law on how old kids have to be to walk home from school alone!

In our neighborhood there's no bus transportation to the neighborhood school -- kids are expected to walk, and there are no laws about "only 8 to walk alone".

[Anonymous]

For my first kid, I waited until 7th grade. My second will be doing this for the first time in 4th grade. We live in a safe neighborhood and I've walked my kids to and from school enough over the years to be comfortable with their street safety.

You might want to try a variety of things to prepare your child. I send mine on bike rides with a curfew. I have them walk to and from activities in the neighborhood when I am available to be sure they got there. I go out for groceries and, just this past weekend for a two hour lunch. And, for the first week, I have family at our house, so I'll know if there is a problem. I'm feeling really good at this point, but it has been a process to prepare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check your state regulations - in MD, kids should be 8 to be at home alone. I walked home alone from 2nd grade - every day at home for 2-3 hours after school - did not turn out scarred, although I cannot quite imagine doing the same with my kids.

It's funny how MD has that regulation, yet there's no law on how old kids have to be to walk home from school alone!

In our neighborhood there's no bus transportation to the neighborhood school -- kids are expected to walk, and there are no laws about "only 8 to walk alone".

Our school does not knowingly allow kids to be walkers until 4th grade. We're in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

PP - yeah, but do they let kids walk home from the bus stop alone, or are kids expected to be met at the bust stop by an adult?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP - yeah, but do they let kids walk home from the bus stop alone, or are kids expected to be met at the bust stop by an adult?

Good grief! This helicopter parenting is totally out of control! People need to read more Free Range Kids and less Protecting the Gift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP - yeah, but do they let kids walk home from the bus stop alone, or are kids expected to be met at the bust stop by an adult?

Good grief! This helicopter parenting is totally out of control! People need to read more Free Range Kids and less Protecting the Gift.

I'm the PP who has the "or the cops get called" rule. And I generally agree with you. But we don't live in the safest neighborhood. I'm not worried about the being home part. It's the getting there without looking like a target with a really predictable pattern part. I'm equiping my kid as best I can and hoping for the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it's any consolation, my 10 y.o. will be doing a latchkey trial for about 2 hours at a time this year (if it turns out to be a horrible idea, it'll change). We are doing this because the only aftercare game in town is a program where they can't do their homework (I know, right?), and the homework load is gettting serious.

The rules include a phone call upon arrival or the cops get called, and a heavy duty homework check once I get home. My child is up for it and wants to do it. I've made it REALLY clear that if it doesn't work, all hell will break loose.

I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but the options are slim.

My DD and another girl were walking home from the bus [1 long block] and were trailed by and approached by some one. Tried to get them to come to the car and slowly shadowed them while driving. They always walked home but that stopped after this incident. So the answer is NO on the walking and coming home to an empty house. I would not leave younger than 12 alone while running short errands. My level of caution increased based on this and other things.

The HW is not worth the regular exposure of 2 hours plus transit for a 10 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP - yeah, but do they let kids walk home from the bus stop alone, or are kids expected to be met at the bust stop by an adult?

Good grief! This helicopter parenting is totally out of control! People need to read more Free Range Kids and less Protecting the Gift.

I'm 11:30 and was sitting in my house while the free range child was almost abducted. Police came and later that month I saw a report on the news of a potential abduction with same vehicle/person description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it's any consolation, my 10 y.o. will be doing a latchkey trial for about 2 hours at a time this year (if it turns out to be a horrible idea, it'll change). We are doing this because the only aftercare game in town is a program where they can't do their homework (I know, right?), and the homework load is gettting serious.

The rules include a phone call upon arrival or the cops get called, and a heavy duty homework check once I get home. My child is up for it and wants to do it. I've made it REALLY clear that if it doesn't work, all hell will break loose.

I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but the options are slim.

My DD and another girl were walking home from the bus [1 long block] and were trailed by and approached by some one. Tried to get them to come to the car and slowly shadowed them while driving. They always walked home but that stopped after this incident. So the answer is NO on the walking and coming home to an empty house. I would not leave younger than 12 alone while running short errands. My level of caution increased based on this and other things.

The HW is not worth the regular exposure of 2 hours plus transit for a 10 year old.

Did you call the cops? Did the girls get a description?