Would you let 6th graders trick or treat without parent?
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Anonymous
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I definitely would - but only you know your child, her friends, and the neighborhood. Given what you've written though, I think there are a few thing you could do to increase your comfort with the situation:
- Make the girls buddy up, so they have a friend they are responsible for keeping track of and sticking with throughout the night, especially if they are otherwise going in a big group. Have a serious talk with both buddies about how you are counting on them to stick together. - Visit the neighborhood in the dark tonight or tomorrow night with your daughter. Point out some landmarks and figure out a good meet up spot for if people get seperated. - Talk through scenarios of what to do if she gets lost. They could include waiting in the meet up spot(s) for friends or you to find her, stopping a parent out trick-or-treating with friends and asking to use their phone, making her way back to her friends house, etc. Let her know you'll be available to come get her if she gets lost, and she just needs to call. I think the vast majority of 6th graders should be able to navigate those situations, the chances of something bad happening are miniscule - and getting lost isn't in and of itself a bad thing - just a learning experience. |
Anonymous
| Yes as long as she's with at least 1 other kid. Give her your or your spouse's phone for the night in case she gets separated from the group. |
Anonymous
Depends in the city? Honestly I wouldn’t mind having an adult trail far behind them. Some weird stuff has happened around this area lately. |
Anonymous
Some weird stuff what? Did you grow up in the US? If so, at what age did you trick-or-treat without a parent? |
Anonymous
| Yes, I would. I would also give her a phone for the evening. I happen to have an extra one because I have one for work and personal use but if I didn't either DH or I would loan her our phone and make sure she remembers to call the parent who still has their phone so she isn't calling her self. |
Anonymous
| We give them a range, as in "you can go to these streets, then swing back to check in before you move to these streets." |
Anonymous
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Yes. I let my 7th grader do it last year and I probably would've let him do it the year before but I walked around with them because his friend's mom came over too.
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Anonymous
Crime. Assaults, mugging of young teens in NWDC. What is your issue that you can’t comprehend that? Now I am a foreigner because inread the police report daily for NWDC? Try reading it. Someone put a gun to a woman’s head last year in spring valley. |
Anonymous
In front of her young child btw |
Anonymous
Ah, you're talking about crime. OK. There's actually much less crime than there used to be. |
Anonymous
| Ours will be going with one friend, and we've agreed that they can stick to a few streets around our house, which have well-lighted sidewalks, the houses are close together and near the street, and we know pretty much every 2nd or 3rd family. But an adult will walk behind them when they go a few streets up, where there are fewer sidewalks and spaced-out streetlights, the houses are set farther apart and back from the street, behind wooded front yards. |
Anonymous
Read the police reports. Assaults happen in NWDC often. I was surprised until I started reading it for myself. |
Anonymous
| These are the same kids who ride the Metrobus to school every morning in DC. If my kids aren't T-O-Ting by themselves in 6th grade, I have done something wrong. |
Anonymous
I had the same thought. A group of eleven year olds can't get themselves around a neighborhood without a parent hovering? I feel sorry for kids these days, adults are always hanging over them, no time to just be a kid with kids. |
Anonymous
| Yes - although I would want to know their route, etc. |