Kids walking home from bus stop by themselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll stop when they can drive themselves to school. Depends on your hood.

Gosh, how ridiculous!

My DD was in first grade and was walking home when a fifth grade boy walked up to her and started shoving snow down her back.
She responded by taking her fist and arm straight out and knocking him on his ass. It’s one of my fondest childhood memories of her and no I didn’t start walking home with her either after that and she has survived to adulthood.

One of the best parts was apologizing to his parents for my DD knocking over their misguided jerky kid (aww, poor Johnny got beaten up by a first grader today..).

Of course we live in an upper middle class suburb. If you live in a sketchy area do what you need to do.

Upper middle class but DD had to walk past a sex offenders house too. There are at least three in the neighborhood. The world does suck!

[Anonymous]

We also live in a nice suburban district on side roads. We also have a big group of kids at the bus stop which is nice from that safety perspective. However, our bus driver did tell us kids in grades k-2 would not be allowed off the bus except to their parent. And even has us come to the door and make eye contact so he knows each kid has a grown up. As the year has gone on, we’ve made requests to let it be known if we aren’t there any other (regular) parent at the stop has permission to pick up our kid. They are covering their end of delivering the kids safely home. I don’t mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We pick up our kids. Why have kids if you do not want the responsibility

You have kids to teach them how to become adults and make their own decisions. Please go read the Vanishing American Adult or How to Raise an Adult.

I let my twin 3rd graders get dressed, feed themselves and lock up the house and walk to school on their own when I have an early meeting.

If their Rec soccer practice wasn't across a very busy street, I'd let them bike there and back on their own.

You are not doing your kids any favors by treating them like snowflakes.

[Anonymous]

This is insane. A first and third grader can walk down the street together without an adult, and they should. People “picking up” fifth and sixth graders on a daily basis need to get a life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are these child professionals responding to a post that is a year and a half old? Encouraging parents to let their kids walk alone? Pedophile much?

Huh? We have a serious problem with kids teaching adulthood and having no idea how to adult. We hire “kids” with professional degrees, and they can’t function as real grownups. At the end of the year performance review, one 26 year old man had to excuse himself because he upset with the criticism. He went to the men’s room and called his mom. He stayed on the phone with her for an hour in the middle of the workday. That’s just one example! I love my kids dearly, and their safety and well-being mean everything to me, but my job extends beyond keeping them safe. My job is to teach them to be competent adults and good members of our society then to get out of the way and provide guidance but not interfere with their development. People who won’t let 12 year olds walk down the street alone are interefering with their development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids' bus stop is a block away. Starting the year one was in 1st grade and one was prek 4, they have generally gone to and from the bus stop alone. When the older one was in the 4s year and K, I was at the bus stop like the rest of the parents. But I kind of wish the kids could all have more independence together. Meaning, I want my kids to be unsupervised, but they are actually standing around with a bunch of other parents.

Agree with this so much! A very helicoptery mom actually walked my second grader home to our front door the second day of school and thought I was running late. I told her, no, Larlo can walk home by himself and she was so surprised, like the idea hadn't occurred to her. She has a third grader!

I'm the first poster above. I'm so happy to know that I'm not alone in this. I honestly think the other bus stop parents think that I'm relying on them to watch my kids. Like I don't have to be at the bus stop because they are there.

[Anonymous]

8:29, I find that silly past K age. Glad I live in FCPS with sane policies.

[Anonymous]

I also grew up in an environment where parents were rarely at the bus stop past 1st grade. There are 6th graders in our neighborhood whose parents walk them to the bus and meet them at the bus in the afternoon which seems insane to me.

I have a 2nd and 3rd grader. The 3rd grader has ADHD and does not cross the road safely which makes me very anxious. I'll stop walking them to the bus stop once DD is able to cross the road safely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are these child professionals responding to a post that is a year and a half old? Encouraging parents to let their kids walk alone? Pedophile much?

Huh? We have a serious problem with kids teaching adulthood and having no idea how to adult. We hire “kids” with professional degrees, and they can’t function as real grownups. At the end of the year performance review, one 26 year old man had to excuse himself because he upset with the criticism. He went to the men’s room and called his mom. He stayed on the phone with her for an hour in the middle of the workday. That’s just one example! I love my kids dearly, and their safety and well-being mean everything to me, but my job extends beyond keeping them safe. My job is to teach them to be competent adults and good members of our society then to get out of the way and provide guidance but not interfere with their development. People who won’t let 12 year olds walk down the street alone are interefering with their development.

Excellent perspective. Thank you for articulating this. *More* parenting isn't *better* parenting.

[Anonymous]

Current 2nd grader walked home by himself starting in 1st. He has to cross the street, so I make sure he knows to look before he crosses.

Kindergartener needs to be met at the bus, so I go now. But next year when they are 1st and 3rd graders, they will walk back by themselves.

[Anonymous]

I was walked to the bus stop from K-2. From 3-4, my great grandmother stood up the street from the bus stop about 2 mins away. By 5/6 grade she stood up street and top of the hill, which was about an 7 min walk away and watched until the bus came. Past 6th grade, I walked to the bus stop on my own.

My kids are in 4th and 1st grade. The stop is 2 mins away. DH has started watching the kids from a distance when the bus comes. We don't have direct line of sight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am baffled by the modern day bus stop culture.

Did anyone else grow up in a place where parents NEVER waited at the bus stop? Even when I was in kindergarten and first grade, the older kids looked out for the little kids (this was K-6 back in the day). I also started walking to school alone in probably 3rd or 4th grade. It was a 15-20 minute walk. It's not that my parents didn't love me, I swear!! This was just normal. I understand that people have safety concerns. But I'm sure we've all read the same statistics...that the world isn't any less safe than when we were kids and it's just our perception that it is because of 24-7 news coverage. I also think expectations are just so different. As the OP says, other parents treat you like a weirdo if you let your kids walk alone anywhere.

It just seems sort of sad. I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out with other kids at the bus stop (and not parents) and making the walk to school. These kids are just supervised by adults ALL THE TIME. When do they learn to trust themselves and have independence/confidence?

They don't learn to trust themselves or every become independent. They also don't have street smarts, critical thinking skills, or confidence. Most kids have high anxiety these days. All stemming from helicopter coddle moms who think the worst thing will happen at any given second. They coddle them until middle school and then go full on tiger mom about school and hunting them down GPS style. Poor kids

[Anonymous]

My 2nd grade son just started a new school this week and today was his first day on the bus. My 5th grade daughter doesn't start school until next week. I work from home. I sent her to meet her brother at the bus stop. They both came back fine.

[Anonymous]

I think op is lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We pick up our kids. Why have kids if you do not want the responsibility

Just to piss you off.