Anonymous
Post 08/21/2012 13:30     Subject: Re:latchkey for 30 minutes?
12
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2012 11:47     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Welp, yesterday was day one of my kid being a latchkey kid. (call-the-cops mom here).

It was totally fine.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2012 20:26     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote:I used to walk home a mile with a friend (sometimes alone) in 3rd grade so 8, but there was a babysitter at home. We crossed one major street at a light. I was fine. When I was in middle school living in a very safe neighborhood two middle school age siblings walked into a robbery in progress in their home and were brutally murdered.

I am not yet at this crossroads but am working on adjusting my schedule to be home in the afternoons.


I understand that you have to protect your kids, but I don't know how that could have been avoided. It seriously sounds like if an adult had been home, they would have been killed too. My son put his foot down at 12 and said enough, please give me some independence. It's been fine. He also started riding the metro bus by himself at 12. Sometimes I think city kids are a little more savvy, always on alert for something.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 23:22     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
I used to walk home a mile with a friend (sometimes alone) in 3rd grade so 8, but there was a babysitter at home. We crossed one major street at a light. I was fine. When I was in middle school living in a very safe neighborhood two middle school age siblings walked into a robbery in progress in their home and were brutally murdered.

I am not yet at this crossroads but am working on adjusting my schedule to be home in the afternoons.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 12:33     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
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 posted this story about DD and no it was not just a car driving slowly. Serious situation and as I posted before same description appeared in DC on the news as a potential abduction. Stop sugarcoating this potentially disastrous situation.

I grew up in a fifties development, 1/5 to 1/4 acre lots. Girl walking home from elementary school snatched and raped in a nearby field.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 11:47     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Check your state regulations - in MD, kids should be 8 to be at home alone. I walked home alone from 2nd grade - every day at home for 2-3 hours after school - did not turn out scarred, although I cannot quite imagine doing the same with my kids.


It's funny how MD has that regulation, yet there's no law on how old kids have to be to walk home from school alone!

In our neighborhood there's no bus transportation to the neighborhood school -- kids are expected to walk, and there are no laws about "only 8 to walk alone".


The law is actually that you cannot be out of the sight of your parent or designated agent until you are 8. So, that does include walking to school or playing outside, yes.


Are you sure about that? The law I was thinking about was this one -- says kids may not be locked or confined in a house, car etc. but I don't see anything about may not walk home from the bus stop or go to a park.

Maryland Code Section 5-801:

A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 11:01     Subject: Re:latchkey for 30 minutes?
Jaycee Dugard was snatched on her way to the school bus. Her then step father saw it, too. Be careful. Pedophiles are dangerous and will do anything to get what they want.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 10:22     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote:
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.

To the PP, maybe think about cutting the apron strings a little? You seriously wouldn't let your child manage him/herself until 5th grade? They are more capable than you think.

OP, I'm assuming you live in a safe, suburban neighborhood.


5th grade is 10. My bus drops end the end of my block and my daughter would need to walk past a homeless shelter to get to my house.

So snarky poster, I think you assume that everyone lives in Alexandria...but they dont.


I think I admitted that in my post -- that my standards would only apply if you live in a SAFE neighborhood. So Who's the "snarky" one? I also limited my standard to kids who are emotionally mature enough to handle it. If it doesn't appy in your situation, then go ahead and arrange for help. If you're talking about THIRTY MINUTES twice a WEEK -- a third grader IMO CAN handle it. If you don't want to do it, then don't... no one's forcing you to. Kids can rise to the challenge more than we often think they can.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 09:06     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Check your state regulations - in MD, kids should be 8 to be at home alone. I walked home alone from 2nd grade - every day at home for 2-3 hours after school - did not turn out scarred, although I cannot quite imagine doing the same with my kids.


It's funny how MD has that regulation, yet there's no law on how old kids have to be to walk home from school alone!

In our neighborhood there's no bus transportation to the neighborhood school -- kids are expected to walk, and there are no laws about "only 8 to walk alone".


The law is actually that you cannot be out of the sight of your parent or designated agent until you are 8. So, that does include walking to school or playing outside, yes.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 08:57     Subject: Re:latchkey for 30 minutes?
Us country folk clearly understand the difference. Even in the country kids should not be walking home alone. Or walking past a pedophiles house.

Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 08:48     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
I think people should also self identify if they live in the suburbs or the city. It makes a difference if you have to walk 5 blocks from your bus pass Old Man Johnsons Farm or take the metro to bus pass a homeless shelter and cross Mass Ave.

Just saying, City kids have a different dynamic then you country folk.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 08:45     Subject: Re:latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:PP - yeah, but do they let kids walk home from the bus stop alone, or are kids expected to be met at the bust stop by an adult?


Good grief! This helicopter parenting is totally out of control! People need to read more Free Range Kids and less Protecting the Gift.


I don't read either, my parenting doesn't come from books - but from a mixture of life experience and people who came before me. If you think you can parent from a book, you've got problems.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 08:40     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
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.

To the PP, maybe think about cutting the apron strings a little? You seriously wouldn't let your child manage him/herself until 5th grade? They are more capable than you think.

OP, I'm assuming you live in a safe, suburban neighborhood.


5th grade is 10. My bus drops end the end of my block and my daughter would need to walk past a homeless shelter to get to my house.

So snarky poster, I think you assume that everyone lives in Alexandria...but they dont.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 07:40     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Anonymous wrote: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.


Would it be different if there was only 1. I am a big proponent of not walking alone.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2012 07:29     Subject: latchkey for 30 minutes?
Didn't read all responses, so I apologize if this was said. Before I put my 11 year old in this situation, I tested it out. I often go jogging so she knows the car may be there, but I still may not be home. So I locked the doors to see what she'd do. After a couple of minutes with her struggling to work the deadlock and door locks, I went out to help her. I was shocked that she couldn't even get in the house. This might seem odd, but you don't know this kid. I realized we needed more remedial training. It's like telling them not to answer the door when you aren't home, and then knocking to see what they'd actually do.