Reply to Would you let a just-turned-12-YO walk over a mile to a friend's house alone?

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Reply to "Would you let a just-turned-12-YO walk over a mile to a friend's house alone?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think it is sad this question even has to be asked.  12yr old is one year away from a teen.  Crossing busy streets?  If not now, when?  13, 14, 15???   They are going to be DRIVING at 16yrs old.  At least let them start crossing a road and gaining some independence.  Not sure why most parents aren't teaching their kids basic life skills.  So many people worry about grades and athletics but kids as old as 8 can't tie shoes or kids that are 12 can't cross a street?  I just find it really weird how people parent these days, especially in this area.  [/quote]

Look at the intersection of Franconia and Van Dorn in Alexandria, that the PP posted about. Look at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike in North Bethesda. Look at the intersection in the 5800 block of Riverdale Road in Riverdale. Now think about a 12-year-old crossing the street there.[/quote]

So when would you allow someone to cross them?  What is your age limit.  My daughter just turned 13 a few weeks ago and is a freshman in high school.  Should she still not cross a "busy" road? I have a 15yr old daughter too.  Should she wait until we ship her off to college and have her professors teach her?    [b]And honestly, if you don't like an intersection or feel it is dangerous, you don't pick that intersection to cross.  You go down to the next one.[/b]  You teach and show that to your kids.  No teenager is going to let you teach or show them anything.  You have a small window between 8-12 to encourage, challenge, and motivate your kids to think and do on their own.  Because once they turn into teenagers, they know everything and 90% of what they do/learn come from their friends and themselves.     [/quote]

Maybe you haven't walked in those areas? The next intersection is dangerous too. And the next, and the next, and the next. And the roads in these examples aren't "busy". They are actually busy. If a pedestrian gets hit by a car going 40 mph, there is an 85% chance that the pedestrian will die.

I am not saying that nobody should walk anywhere, or that nobody under 18 should walk anywhere. I am saying that those intersections are really dangerous for pedestrians, and that depending on the specific 12-year-old, it might be too dangerous for a 12-year-old to cross on foot by himself. I am also saying that we need to stop accepting these dangerous intersections as a fact of life. 12-year-olds should be able to walk places safely.[/quote]

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