At what age would you let kids be home alone and get to school two hours late ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

It’s coddling and limiting them from doing what their 100% capable of (especially if their “gifted and high IQ, like all DCUM kids.)

8 year olds are able to be home alone all day.

11-12 year olds can a babysit younger siblings all day.

16 year olds can stay home alone overnight for days.

18 year olds can babysit multiple siblings for more than a week.

Stop disabling your children..

Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. Do you mean it is good for THEM (the child) or good for YOU (the parent)?

An 8yo home alone all day (doing what, exactly? 90% of them will be staring at screens) is not in any way ideal- much less something to strive for.

An 11-12 year old babysitting younger siblings all day, same thing. Fine on occasion, but not healthy to be doing (for the “babysitter” or the younger siblings) day to day.

Most of us can provide a better experience. So- we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my neighborhood, when a parent has to leave early or there’s a bus delay, they will ask if they can drop their kid off at another house on their way out. I’ve helped parents in this way. If you have younger kids and haven’t needed help like this before, my friendly advice is to start setting networks up now. When kids get older, you will need it. One kid will have an early morning sports/music/arts commitment and the other one is on their regular schedule, etc.

Do you need to drop them off? I think for a lot of more responsible kids, it would be fine for the neighbor just to knock on the door when the bus is almost there, have the kid lock the house, and have them walk together to the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All kids are different. My older child was fine with being left home alone for 30-60 minutes at 9 years old, while my younger now 10 year old gets panicky at the idea of being left home alone even for a few minutes.

There’s no way I would have left either to get themselves to school alone at that age.

Yup, it's kid-specific. We have 2 older kids close in age, and this would have been fine for them by the time the youngest was age 9 and the oldest age 11 because they felt more comfortable as a twosome. About that time they started biking to school together because they didn't like the bus. But the 9-year old probably would have felt too anxious to do it alone (and us too). We have a younger child, now 9-years old, and she's sometimes home alone for a half hour while we do a drop off or pickup for an older kid or an errand, but she's nervous being home alone longer than that. Combined with trusting her to be the one to lock up the house and watch for traffic walking to the bus stop -- given that she like many 9-year olds can still be a bit flighty -- I'd be uneasy leaving her for the morning. I expect by age 10, and certainly 11, the tide will turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 8yo 2nd grader would be fine with the walking to school part (we live a mile from school) but would definitely not remember to check the clock and leave on time lol.

Same especially on a 2 hour delay day when the time frames are different. I have a 10 year old. He’d probably also forget his lunch.

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader walks half a mile to school solo, daily and has been since last year, so age 9. BUT he has severe adhd and cannot get himself ready alone in the morning. He has no concept of time. Alarms and check lists dont work. He needs someone to remind him and prompt him and get him out the door. He would not be capable of waking up solo. He comes home alone in the afternoon, no problem. Medicine has kicked in y then and there are no expectations to be on time.

Once recently both my husband and I were unable to he home in the morning. We woke our son before we left, and then had a neighbor come by 20 minutes before he had to leave the house. That was fine. He was motivated to show responsibility and had an adult checking over him.

I am hopeful by the teenage years he will be able to handle morning routines with less interference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

It’s coddling and limiting them from doing what their 100% capable of (especially if their “gifted and high IQ, like all DCUM kids.)

8 year olds are able to be home alone all day.

11-12 year olds can a babysit younger siblings all day.

16 year olds can stay home alone overnight for days.

18 year olds can babysit multiple siblings for more than a week.

Stop disabling your children..

So what? My mom’s timeline was different than yours. I still became a highly successful adult.

[Anonymous]

I used to do this at that age so I’m sure some are capable. I remember walking to my friend’s house at 7 am when both of our parents were leaving for work, watching Arthur, and staying until 8:45 when we’d walk to the bus stop together. My youngest is that age now and I doubt I would trust any of my kids to do the same, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

It’s coddling and limiting them from doing what their 100% capable of (especially if their “gifted and high IQ, like all DCUM kids.)

8 year olds are able to be home alone all day.

11-12 year olds can a babysit younger siblings all day.

16 year olds can stay home alone overnight for days.

18 year olds can babysit multiple siblings for more than a week.

Stop disabling your children..

Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. Do you mean it is good for THEM (the child) or good for YOU (the parent)?

An 8yo home alone all day (doing what, exactly? 90% of them will be staring at screens) is not in any way ideal- much less something to strive for.

An 11-12 year old babysitting younger siblings all day, same thing. Fine on occasion, but not healthy to be doing (for the “babysitter” or the younger siblings) day to day.

Most of us can provide a better experience. So- we do.

Op here. I actually think it is good for children to be independent and self sufficient. My youngest is 9 and was/is absolutely coddled. I make an effort to make her more independent

Some of her friends are only or oldest children and I swear some of the parents still treat them like they are in preschool.

[Anonymous]

My husband works really early like at 5:30 but only 1 to 3 times per week. I leave for work at 7:15. My son has been getting himself to the bus (about 8:45) on the days his dad works since age 9 he’s 11 now and finishing 5th grade. Now he even walks the dog for me.

[Anonymous]

In Japan, children are expected to be able to get themselves to school by first grade. Societal expectations aside, your children are capable far before you’re allowing them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Japan, children are expected to be able to get themselves to school by first grade. Societal expectations aside, your children are capable far before you’re allowing them.

Getting themselves to school, as in walking to school is not the same thing as the parent leaving for work at 7am and leaving kid alone for a couple hrs with all the morning responsibilities plus getting themselves to school, locking up the house, etc.

[Anonymous]

2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is in third grade. Parents are enraged about the two hour delay. These kids are 8-9 years old. Some of these people live 1-2 blocks away from school. There is no reason why a 9 year old can’t walk a block to school alone and parent can go to work.

Not talking about parents of younger kids.

At what age would you let your kid go to the bus stop or walk to school by themselves?

I remember walking home from school alone in kindergarten. I lived a block away. This was in the eighties.

I remember thinking I missed my bus as a kid and having to walk to school by myself. I was in elementary. I got lost. Then I had to take the way the bus goes which was a longer route down a one way divided street. People were offering me rides. Finally the bus came, it must’ve been a two hour delay or something and I got on the bus the rest of the way.

Op here. The family I am thinking of lives one block from the school. I want to say they live 6-7 houses on the SAME street of the school. I think a 9 year old should be able to walk to school.

Allowing (much less expecting) a third grader to walk themselves to school with no parental supervision is definitely well outside the norm for this area (and would probably prompt some to call cps.)

Insane. I was 5 years old in kindergarten and walked a mile to school with my 7 year old brother.

This is now illegal in many states

And at FIVE and seven — as it should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd let my nine year old do it. She walks to school some days already. She probably wouldn't think to watch the time, but I could give her a call to remind her. She stays at home for similar lengths of time by herself without issue as well.

I would be mad about a silly two hour delay, though. School is important, even if the schools seem to have forgotten that.

Oh well. 🤷‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is in third grade. Parents are enraged about the two hour delay. These kids are 8-9 years old. Some of these people live 1-2 blocks away from school. There is no reason why a 9 year old can’t walk a block to school alone and parent can go to work.

Not talking about parents of younger kids.

At what age would you let your kid go to the bus stop or walk to school by themselves?

I remember walking home from school alone in kindergarten. I lived a block away. This was in the eighties.

Parents are enraged because they have no plan. Every two parent working family needs a plan in case of two hour delays or snow day. If that’s offering to pay a neighbor money to help cover then that may have to happen. But to be enraged about something that happens every year…get your affairs in order and figure it out like the rest of us.

Parents are enraged because schools can’t keep it together. Our school is open on time today. I would be unhappy if it were delayed.

Then you’d be unhappy. That’s OK.