Reply to Am I off base regarding reasonable ages for independent travel on metro/in D.C.?

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[quote=Anonymous]Something really stood out to me from all of these posts... I'm a DC public school parent.  Starting in 5th grade, my DD started taking public bus to and from school by herself and/or with friends and also using the bus or metro to get to or from extracurriculars. T(he 2 years preceding that, it was a slow on-ramp with allowing her to walk to friends' houses or the corner store, etc. by herself.) She's in 6th grade now. I'm presuming the requests to use the bus/metro to go "hang out" etc will start soon enough. But the truth is... I have a very high degree of trust/confidence in her ALONE, but put her with even one friend, let alone a group and I'm terrified.

In the last few years, in almost every conceivable context, I have watched her make all sorts of independent judgement calls on her own.... and then make the absolute worst decisions when she's with others.  First, she's just so wildly distracted. For example, when by herself, she crosses the street very carefully. With a friend, she's talking and I've repeatedly seen her just absent-mindedly step into the middle of the street without looking. By herself on the street, she is alert and paying attention. By herself, she pays attention to the route; with friends, she misses her stop.  She is also sadly very sensitive to peer pressure. If a kid she's with suggests something that she knows to be wrong, she will absolutely go along with it. From stupid stuff, to being rude, to more dangerous behavior. I've had tons of conversations about all of this. It has no effect. But at this point, her dad and I are both terrified about the prospect of allowing her and her friends to have independent alone time in the city when I wouldn't hesitate to let her be by myself. Looks like I'm the only one out there? Since every other PP said "sure, but so long as she's with other folks...."[/quote]

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