Is there a neighbor who would be picking up their kids anyway and who wouldn't mind accompanying your kids to your front door on their way home?

I happily did this for my neighbor whose nanny became very ill and was unable to work for a few months. It was on our way and no big deal at all...

You could switch and return the favor on the days that you are able to meet the bus.

2nd grade is when my kids did it. They were fine. Let themselves in, made a snack---3rd grade for cooked food---took care of the dogs, read a book. No sweat. They didn't call: I wasn't reachable at that time.

Kids are overparented anymore.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I must have super mature kids. I live in a very safe neighborhood and the walk from the bus is short. So 8 in my situation. If you are nervous about it I would pay an 7th/8th grade girl 5 bucks a day for the 1/2 hour. In 10 weeks she will have $100 bucks.

OP here. Sadly all the middle schools get out later than my kids' elementary!

What about a HS student. I would stick with a 9th grade girl. It's really about comfort level. How old is your child? I missed that somehow.

Anonymous wrote:I must have super mature kids. I live in a very safe neighborhood and the walk from the bus is short. So 8 in my situation. If you are nervous about it I would pay an 7th/8th grade girl 5 bucks a day for the 1/2 hour. In 10 weeks she will have $100 bucks.

OP here. Sadly all the middle schools get out later than my kids' elementary!

I must have super mature kids. I live in a very safe neighborhood and the walk from the bus is short. So 8 in my situation. If you are nervous about it I would pay an 7th/8th grade girl 5 bucks a day for the 1/2 hour. In 10 weeks she will have $100 bucks.

I have a 7 yr old and I've left him in the house to walk the dog around the next court. I can't imagine leaving him home alone to go to the store for another few yrs. He is fine alone in the house but I don't trust that he could handle himself if someone came to the door and insisted that he opened it because _____________. I think at this point he would be the kid who would go with someone if they said his mom needed help and to go with them.

My girls would be very uncomfortable walking into an empty house. If someone would walk with them and get them settled, they'd be fine for a short time. I would be nervous if someone watched and knew their routine. Our neighborhood always seems to have landscaping and contractor vans parked around in the early afternoon. I know one family has their cleaning lady come on an afternoon the kids come home from school alone. She lets them in and they call their mom.

My high school cousin walked in on someone who had broken into their house. Luckily when she got in the front door she could directly see the open back door. The man stepped into her line of sight and she took off out the front to a neighbor's. My girls do not know this story but I sure keep it in my mind!

Anonymous wrote:really in Virginia they can be 7. I thought it was 12. Wow, I would never leave my 7 year old alone. Too immature.

Not even for 10 minutes while you, say, walked the dog around the block? Because that's what the rule means -- you can leave a child alone for a short amount of time.

really in Virginia they can be 7. I thought it was 12. Wow, I would never leave my 7 year old alone. Too immature.

Fourth for one alone. Fifth if there was also a sibling.

I would do it if you have a neighbor (or a couple of neighbors) who will be home during that time in case of emergency- and to have an extra key. This way there is someone who can be there in a flash if there is a problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it's any consolation, my 10 y.o. will be doing a latchkey trial for about 2 hours at a time this year (if it turns out to be a horrible idea, it'll change). We are doing this because the only aftercare game in town is a program where they can't do their homework (I know, right?), and the homework load is gettting serious.

The rules include a phone call upon arrival or the cops get called, and a heavy duty homework check once I get home. My child is up for it and wants to do it. I've made it REALLY clear that if it doesn't work, all hell will break loose.

I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but the options are slim.

My DD and another girl were walking home from the bus [1 long block] and were trailed by and approached by some one. Tried to get them to come to the car and slowly shadowed them while driving. They always walked home but that stopped after this incident. So the answer is NO on the walking and coming home to an empty house. I would not leave younger than 12 alone while running short errands. My level of caution increased based on this and other things.

The HW is not worth the regular exposure of 2 hours plus transit for a 10 year old.

I'm the one who wrote about the helicoptering. You know, I was once walking on my own street with my older brother when we noticed a car driving VEERRRYYY slowly near us. He got his house key out, and when he yelled "Three!" we both broke into a run, sprinted home, and he unlocked the door, we hustled in, locked the door behind us, and laughed. I am not even sure if we told our mother. It's entirely possible the person was just looking for a specific house number. Your DD would be smart to know that if someone is following her in a car while she's walking, she can turn and run in the other direction - it takes a car a long time to turn around to continue following her.

I was the potential abductor once. I was driving slowly along a street looking for a house. There were two boys walking along the sidewalk and they kept looking at me. I realized one of them was my friend's son and without thinking I opened the widow and called out to him. Both boys ran and hid behind a tree. I stopped the car to get out to say - Hey Eric, it is Dan's mom, do you know where Billy lives??...and him and the other kid both took off at 100mph down the sidewalk. That is when I realized they thought I was out to get them!! I called his mom when I got home to let her know I wasn't actually trying to kidnap her son and apologize for scaring him and his friend.

Anonymous wrote:In Va. your child has to be 7 to be left alone. I would do it for the amount of time you are talking about for 8.5 yr. old IF the child was o.k. being alone.

That's a guideline -- there is no law.
At this age there is huge variability in maturity levels. You should know if your kid can handle the responsibilities or not.
Make sure to go over safety tips and emergency procedures -- which neighbors to go to, how to call for help, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if it's any consolation, my 10 y.o. will be doing a latchkey trial for about 2 hours at a time this year (if it turns out to be a horrible idea, it'll change). We are doing this because the only aftercare game in town is a program where they can't do their homework (I know, right?), and the homework load is gettting serious.

The rules include a phone call upon arrival or the cops get called, and a heavy duty homework check once I get home. My child is up for it and wants to do it. I've made it REALLY clear that if it doesn't work, all hell will break loose.

I'm not exactly comfortable with it, but the options are slim.

My DD and another girl were walking home from the bus [1 long block] and were trailed by and approached by some one. Tried to get them to come to the car and slowly shadowed them while driving. They always walked home but that stopped after this incident. So the answer is NO on the walking and coming home to an empty house. I would not leave younger than 12 alone while running short errands. My level of caution increased based on this and other things.

The HW is not worth the regular exposure of 2 hours plus transit for a 10 year old.

I'm the one who wrote about the helicoptering. You know, I was once walking on my own street with my older brother when we noticed a car driving VEERRRYYY slowly near us. He got his house key out, and when he yelled "Three!" we both broke into a run, sprinted home, and he unlocked the door, we hustled in, locked the door behind us, and laughed. I am not even sure if we told our mother. It's entirely possible the person was just looking for a specific house number. Your DD would be smart to know that if someone is following her in a car while she's walking, she can turn and run in the other direction - it takes a car a long time to turn around to continue following her.

Anonymous wrote:
Did you call the cops? Did the girls get a description?

Never mind. Read the response. I'm 13:58, BTW. Fortunately between the drop and the house, there are several neighbors who are home, a store, and a police station where we have relationships. Like I said, if it doesn't work, it'll change. But we're giving it a try.