Unless she has been raised in a bubble, any neurotypical 6-year-old should certainly know enough to walk on the sidewalk, cross at the cross walks when the sign says walk, look both ways for cars before crossing, etc. & should be well beyond the age where darting out into the street is a risk! So the need for the 10-year-old to supervise in a situation like this is pretty minimal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20150312/80788942-a504-4285-92ba-7b6215236003

Attempted kidnapping of toddler:

"The incident began after Michael Wright left his three children with a baby sitter in Sprague on Sunday while he went to work. The children — Brenden, 10, Delicia, 8, and the toddler — were playing unsupervised in a city park near the sitter's house."

Again, the reason why events such as this make international news is because they are so rare.

Anonymous wrote:http://enews.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20150312/80788942-a504-4285-92ba-7b6215236003

Attempted kidnapping of toddler:

"The incident began after Michael Wright left his three children with a baby sitter in Sprague on Sunday while he went to work. The children — Brenden, 10, Delicia, 8, and the toddler — were playing unsupervised in a city park near the sitter's house."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see anything wrong with the 10 year old walking out alone, but IMO that's too young to supervise a 6 year old sibling on a 1- mile walk.

Unless she has been raised in a bubble, any neurotypical 6-year-old should certainly know enough to walk on the sidewalk, cross at the cross walks when the sign says walk, look both ways for cars before crossing, etc. & should be well beyond the age where darting out into the street is a risk! So the need for the 10-year-old to supervise in a situation like this is pretty minimal.

Are you a developmental specialist? Because based on what you're saying my 6yo is not NT - a diagnosis that contradicts what his ped and teachers say. But if he's walking alone with his 10yo brother, I guarantee you he will try to race his brother, and he won't pay much attention to cars or crosswalks or traffic lights.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see anything wrong with the 10 year old walking out alone, but IMO that's too young to supervise a 6 year old sibling on a 1- mile walk.

Unless she has been raised in a bubble, any neurotypical 6-year-old should certainly know enough to walk on the sidewalk, cross at the cross walks when the sign says walk, look both ways for cars before crossing, etc. & should be well beyond the age where darting out into the street is a risk! So the need for the 10-year-old to supervise in a situation like this is pretty minimal.

Are you a developmental specialist? Because based on what you're saying my 6yo is not NT - a diagnosis that contradicts what his ped and teachers say. But if he's walking alone with his 10yo brother, I guarantee you he will try to race his brother, and he won't pay much attention to cars or crosswalks or traffic lights.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Remember the Sesame Street animation where Wilhelmina's mom asks her to go to the store to get a stick of butter, an carton of milk, and a loaf of bread. She does it all by herself, too! Then again, the store is probably a block away... One of my daughter's favorite books is "Down the Lane" in which a girl maybe 7 or 8 years old, gets permission to walk alone down the dusty lane, through the old orchard, across the stream, and into town to get a dozen eggs: "Twelve big beauties, no cracks!" admonishes her dad. Mom's not sure she's ready, but dad says, "Look at this big girl. She can do it!"

Still, there's NO WAY I'd let my 7 yo into the village on her own. She's not ready. Maybe next year, at age 8, in third grade. I'd have to think about it. We live in a pretty safe-feeling little urban village. Then again, two years ago, a 13 year old fought off someone who jumped from a car and tried to drag her into it from the sidewalk. Broad daylight. Yeesh.

In basically every classic children's book written before 1980 that has children and parents in it, the parents would be found guilty of child neglect by today's standards. Starting with Ramona.

Heck, my parents would be found guilty of child neglect by today's standards, and my mother was considered overprotective at the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Remember the Sesame Street animation where Wilhelmina's mom asks her to go to the store to get a stick of butter, an carton of milk, and a loaf of bread. She does it all by herself, too! Then again, the store is probably a block away... One of my daughter's favorite books is "Down the Lane" in which a girl maybe 7 or 8 years old, gets permission to walk alone down the dusty lane, through the old orchard, across the stream, and into town to get a dozen eggs: "Twelve big beauties, no cracks!" admonishes her dad. Mom's not sure she's ready, but dad says, "Look at this big girl. She can do it!"

Still, there's NO WAY I'd let my 7 yo into the village on her own. She's not ready. Maybe next year, at age 8, in third grade. I'd have to think about it. We live in a pretty safe-feeling little urban village. Then again, two years ago, a 13 year old fought off someone who jumped from a car and tried to drag her into it from the sidewalk. Broad daylight. Yeesh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see anything wrong with the 10 year old walking out alone, but IMO that's too young to supervise a 6 year old sibling on a 1- mile walk.

Unless she has been raised in a bubble, any neurotypical 6-year-old should certainly know enough to walk on the sidewalk, cross at the cross walks when the sign says walk, look both ways for cars before crossing, etc. & should be well beyond the age where darting out into the street is a risk! So the need for the 10-year-old to supervise in a situation like this is pretty minimal.