Reply to Kids walking home from bus stop by themselves

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Kids walking home from bus stop by themselves"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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?[/quote]

OP here.  I agree with this.  I feel that parents are way too scared nowadays.  I walked to school by myself, waited for the bus without an adult present, walked to my friends houses that lived 15 minutes away.  I did all this from Kindergarten and up.  With that said, it doesn't mean that it was always right.  There are things my mom let me do that I would be hesitant to let my kids do... like letting my first grader walk by herself to a house 15 mins. away.

As for the poster who mentioned that I be thankful and do something in return.  Of course I'm thankful to the other parents, but I don't want them to feel that it is necessary for them to go out of their way to walk/drive my kids home (because sometimes they live in the opposite direction).  And as for doing something in return, we all chip in and help each other out.  I babysit for them when needed and will pick up their kids from the bus stop if they ask me.  We all get along pretty well.  It's just that I'm comfortable with letting my kids walk home and I don't want them to feel like they have to keep walking/driving them to my house.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics