Would you let your children cycle to school?

[Rupert_Baehr]

5 years old, bit too young.

 

I couldn't send my children to school on thir own at these ages, the worlds just a very different place than what it used to be when I made the journey alone. My sister (who is 2 years my elder) used to be responsible for me and it was the 'norm' then. No where near as many concerns as there is now.

 

I see 5 yr olds (and a little older) going past my house to and from school every day in term time. - Sometimes in small groups, but some alone. The youngest tend to walk with a friend/sibling. There's a road (which most of the kids I see have to cross) which is extremely busy and dangerous - but there are underpasses and crossing signals. They manage to use the crossings.

 

If society is really concerned about the hazards of young children going to school unaccompanied, then perhaps the government might consider increasing the school starting age?

 

If you increase the school starting age from 5 to 15, then kids would leave school at 28, go to uni, leave that at 31 or more ... Just think of the effect that would have on the unemployment figures! - Nobody under the age of 28 could be considered to be unemployed!

[mrs patching]

I believe it's almost entirely an issue about road safety, if you're worried about your children being 'snatched', then they shouldn't be let out in rain, because there's as much chance of them being struck by lightening.

 

The point is putting an eight year old in charge of a 5 year old . At 8 the child is not mature enough to deal with a serious incident. You cannot compare being snatched with being struck by lightening. I too know the area very well having lived there for over 30 years. It is not a place for children to walk alone.

[espadrille]

Seriously I do believe that we in Britain send our children to school far too early. We should follow the Finland model I think.

[espadrille]

The point is putting an eight year old in charge of a 5 year old . At 8 the child is not mature enough to deal with a serious incident. You cannot compare being snatched with being struck by lightening. I too know the area very well having lived there for over 30 years. It is not a place for children to walk alone.

 

That really depends on the children and what you define a serious incident

[barbiegirl80]

I see 5 yr olds (and a little older) going past my house to and from school every day in term time. - Sometimes in small groups, but some alone. The youngest tend to walk with a friend/sibling. There's a road (which most of the kids I see have to cross) which is extremely busy and dangerous - but there are underpasses and crossing signals. They manage to use the crossings.

 

If society is really concerned about the hazards of young children going to school unaccompanied, then perhaps the government might consider increasing the school starting age?

 

If you increase the school starting age from 5 to 15, then kids would leave school at 28, go to uni, leave that at 31 or more ... Just think of the effect that would have on the unemployment figures! - Nobody under the age of 28 could be considered to be unemployed!

 

Hmmm..no underpasses on our road I'm afraid. And the nearest crossing point (not including the warden) is waaaay back down the road, and forces them to cross another road a bit further up, which is always teeming with school traffic. I petitioned for a crossing signal where the warden is, but unfortunately there 'hadn't been enough deaths to warrant one'.

[mrs patching]

That really depends on the children and what you define a serious incident

 

I agree that you have to give children some resposibility at 8 to help them learn about "the real world ". But leaving them in charge of a 5 year old anywhere, riding to school or being left alone in the house while the parents are out, is wrong . I cannot believe that people think it is acceptable to let the kids out alone.

[boyfriday]

The point is putting an eight year old in charge of a 5 year old . At 8 the child is not mature enough to deal with a serious incident. You cannot compare being snatched with being struck by lightening. I too know the area very well having lived there for over 30 years. It is not a place for children to walk alone.

 

I didn't say it was a place for children to walk alone. I didn't say the 8 year old should be responsible for the younger sibling. I wasn't comparing being snatched to being struck by lightening, I was comparing the probabilities of each event.

 

I was responding to your point about being snatched. If you know the area around Dulwich well, you'll know that there isn't any recent history of a child being abducted by a stranger, so in my opinion, it's not something I would worry about.

[espadrille]

...and making the child nervous and anxious about what might happen to them passes on the anxiety that the parent has to the child and they invariably will carry this on for the rest of their life.

Believing and worrying that the world is a scary place does nothing to develop a childs self confidence. In fact it actually impedes it.

[espadrille]

I agree that you have to give children some resposibility at 8 to help them learn about "the real world ". But leaving them in charge of a 5 year old anywhere, riding to school or being left alone in the house while the parents are out, is wrong . I cannot believe that people think it is acceptable to let the kids out alone.

 

It is safer to be outside IMO as if anything did happen then at least there are lots of other people who would help out, ie the child fell of the bike then no doubt another parent may ask if they were OK, whereas leaving a child alone in the house is a different situation.

[mrs patching]

...and making the child nervous and anxious about what might happen to them passes on the anxiety that the parent has to the child and they invariably will carry this on for the rest of their life.

Believing and worrying that the world is a scary place does nothing to develop a childs self confidence. In fact it actually impedes it.

 

My children are just a bit older than the ones in question. 12 and 10 . This age is more appropriate to start the process of teaching them about safety and all of the possible dangers of being out alone. I have been very caucious about letting them out alone before now. It has not affected them in any way. They are not nervous and on one occasion when a stranger approached the younger one, she did as she was told and went straight into a shop for help. Self confidence should be taught when a child is old enough to undertand fully . Not "oh let them go on their own and boost their confidence". I think the parents are just lazy and cant be bothered to parent their children properly. It will be interesting to find out if they allow the kids to do other boarderline things.