My kid could walk alone to the school (which is 5 houses down from us and then you cross the street with a crossing guard) starting in 2nd grade (this was the school rule). We generally walked with her, but she definitely did it on her own occasionally. Our neighborhood is full of walkers so lots of people who knew her/us were out and about.

I have another child with severe intellectual disability. It really brings me some perspective on just how much our typical kids are capable of. I think we currently drastically underestimate our kids level of independence and babying them isn’t helpful. If my severe ID kid could do the things my other kid could do at age 7, she would likely live in a group home with fairly limited supervision and have some sort of job like bagging groceries through a supported employment program. She would be making simple meals for herself and taking the bus on a route she was taught. She could shop at the grocery store for herself. We dramatically underestimate our kids these days. Instead, my kid requires 24/7 extensive supervision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

It’s coddling and limiting them from doing what their 100% capable of (especially if their “gifted and high IQ, like all DCUM kids.)

8 year olds are able to be home alone all day.

11-12 year olds can a babysit younger siblings all day.

16 year olds can stay home alone overnight for days.

18 year olds can babysit multiple siblings for more than a week.

Stop disabling your children..

Just because a kid is capable of something does not mean you should force them to do it. I walked to school on my own starting when I was 6. At 7, I also helped my younger brother get to school with me. And sure, that experience made me more independent and self-reliant.

But it also felt lonely, and like I couldn't ask for help when I needed it. I didn't get that extra time with a parent to talk about my day or process feelings I might be having. I was just alone, or caring for a younger sibling. I *could* do it, but *should* I have done it? I argue no, and that it would have been better for me in the long run to have a parent "coddle" me by accompanying me to school for a few more years. It's true this likely would have delayed some of the acquisition of skills that helped me become more independent. But it would have nurtured other skills, and my relationship with my parents, and I think overall been better for my development.

I don't even disagree with your cut offs for independence, but there is wiggle room in there and this idea that kids should be forced into independence as early as possible is just wrong. You don't want to swing too hard in the other direction, but there is some middle ground here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

It’s coddling and limiting them from doing what their 100% capable of (especially if their “gifted and high IQ, like all DCUM kids.)

8 year olds are able to be home alone all day.

11-12 year olds can a babysit younger siblings all day.

16 year olds can stay home alone overnight for days.

18 year olds can babysit multiple siblings for more than a week.

Stop disabling your children..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Why be bothered? These kids will learn the same skills later. Just like you will learn some life skills later than others.

No one’s enraged when school closes during a blizzard. School should have opened today.

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

Op here. This is the attitude I’m feeling bothered by today’s society. All these parents who think their mid elementary kids cannot get out of house on time.

When I was in elementary school, I would walk to the bus stop that was 1.5 blocks from my house alone. It was no big deal. I don’t remember 2 hour delays. I remember listening to the radio to see if school was closed. My parents went to work.

Anonymous wrote:My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

So there’s no crossings that are kind of dicey, we have several that have bad visibility and no stop sign

Anonymous wrote:In my neighborhood, when a parent has to leave early or there’s a bus delay, they will ask if they can drop their kid off at another house on their way out. I’ve helped parents in this way. If you have younger kids and haven’t needed help like this before, my friendly advice is to start setting networks up now. When kids get older, you will need it. One kid will have an early morning sports/music/arts commitment and the other one is on their regular schedule, etc.

Yeah, no one does that in our neighborhood, we have offered many times, and no one has ever taken us up on it, and we feel thus uncomfortable asking them

My kids walk to school and home, about three quarters of a mile, residential area. Started at age 8. I don't think I could trust them to get out on time with a 2 hour delay though with no adults at home, they'd either get to school super early or pull out the ipads and lose track of time. And they'd argue over who has to shut the door so the dog would definitely get out. Aged 9 and 11 now.

So what age can kids walk to the bus stop alone if it’s only a few houses down? Middle school?!?

our school (aa county) has crossing guards and is surrounded by houses and driveways, so no commercial traffic streets. walkers are allowed to be dismissed solo starting in 3rd grade. A good chunk of kids (50 or so, in good weather) walk or bike home, about half escorted by parents. My oldest started biking by himself (1 mile) about halfway through second grade. My middle child might not be ready for that though. Depends on the kid.

Middle school. My 7 and 9 year olds could do it but I just wouldn’t.

Schools only just started letting 4th and 5th graders walk home alone. We all fought and fought since the entire school is in a walk zone and incredibly safe. My 4th grader was having issues at her aftercare with bullying and so now I let her walk home 2 days a week.

Our 3rd grader is desperate to walk to school by herself. We live 0.5 miles and there are a few dicey intersections.

Moreover, we are edge of walk zone, so she is the only kid walking (sometimes only person walking) for a quarter of a mile. I don’t love that — walking with friends or at least other students along the route would he preferable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is in third grade. Parents are enraged about the two hour delay. These kids are 8-9 years old. Some of these people live 1-2 blocks away from school. There is no reason why a 9 year old can’t walk a block to school alone and parent can go to work.

Not talking about parents of younger kids.

At what age would you let your kid go to the bus stop or walk to school by themselves?

I remember walking home from school alone in kindergarten. I lived a block away. This was in the eighties.

Parents are enraged because they have no plan. Every two parent working family needs a plan in case of two hour delays or snow day. If that’s offering to pay a neighbor money to help cover then that may have to happen. But to be enraged about something that happens every year…get your affairs in order and figure it out like the rest of us.

Parents are upset because the 2 hour delay this more is crazy. There is literally no reason we should have had a 2 hour delay. Even if you do have a plan, this is still frustrating. There is only so much good will you can burn with your backup plans / work from home plans / go into the office late plans and you don’t want to use this up for nothing. This has been a rough winter, given parents a break here.

It's very popular to blame parents for your fact that schools have lost the will to open under the slightest adversity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is in third grade. Parents are enraged about the two hour delay. These kids are 8-9 years old. Some of these people live 1-2 blocks away from school. There is no reason why a 9 year old can’t walk a block to school alone and parent can go to work.

Not talking about parents of younger kids.

At what age would you let your kid go to the bus stop or walk to school by themselves?

I remember walking home from school alone in kindergarten. I lived a block away. This was in the eighties.

Parents are enraged because they have no plan. Every two parent working family needs a plan in case of two hour delays or snow day. If that’s offering to pay a neighbor money to help cover then that may have to happen. But to be enraged about something that happens every year…get your affairs in order and figure it out like the rest of us.

Parents are upset because the 2 hour delay this more is crazy. There is literally no reason we should have had a 2 hour delay. Even if you do have a plan, this is still frustrating. There is only so much good will you can burn with your backup plans / work from home plans / go into the office late plans and you don’t want to use this up for nothing. This has been a rough winter, given parents a break here.

In my neighborhood, when a parent has to leave early or there’s a bus delay, they will ask if they can drop their kid off at another house on their way out. I’ve helped parents in this way. If you have younger kids and haven’t needed help like this before, my friendly advice is to start setting networks up now. When kids get older, you will need it. One kid will have an early morning sports/music/arts commitment and the other one is on their regular schedule, etc.