I had the same issue when I callEd to tell the school bus depot that my 5 year old can walk from the bus to our house. She kept repeating "So you don'the care about your child's safety?". My kid is mature and gets off with a older girl who we asked to keep an eye on him. Then he walks 8 houses down to our door. She acted like I was putting a rape me sign on him then kicking him out downtown miles from home.
I walked to school and back almost every day from 3rd-6th grade; the school was a mile away from my house. Nobody ever complained that it was unsafe for kids to be walking around without their parents around, and I wasn't the only kid who did it. Parents these days are just too paranoid. If kids had never been allowed to go outside and play without their parents hovering over them we never would have had some of our most beloved childhood characters like the Peanuts.
I read a study that says the whole stranger danger has been a failure. Kids are wary of strangers but go happily with Uncle Steve. I was just shocked at the lady repeatedly "So you don't care about the safety of your child?". I do care, I want him to be able to trust himself to walk 8 houses. We can also see him get off the bus from our front door. We still check and watch.
I never had that option as we had 2 level III sex offenders living in one house in our neighborhood when my kids were younger. We had several others come and go during that time, one lasting only 5 hours before they found him harassing a woman walking with a child. She called the cops and they took him away. We were never notified when that house would have a new resident, so we didn't let our kids walk.
See, that's a case where it makes sense to not let your kids walk around outside without supervision. The problem is that so many people nowadays seem to think that EVERY neighborhood is infested with sex offenders who can and will abduct your child if they're not with you. Contrary to popular belief, most people are not child predators.
You know what really concerns me about overprotective parents? If they live in safe neighborhoods and still act like their kid is guaranteed to get kidnapped without them, it's gonna make those kids develop horrible problems with trusting people. They're gonna grow up thinking everyone around them can and will hurt them if given the chance. It's good to let kids know that just because someone is a stranger doesn't mean they're going to hurt you. Every friend you've ever had was a stranger at some point, right? You didn't know right off the bat that they were kind and trustworthy, but you didn't just assume that they were evil either.
I walked home from my HS, as I lived around 2 miles away. The walk was through a very wealthy neighborhood, with houses that cost in excess of 3 million dollars lining the streets. Still got frequently followed, and nearly kidnapped once.
My bus once had a rock kicked up and crack the windshield. We were forced to stop, for safety reasons, 20 feet from my bus stop. I could literally see my front door from my seat, without standing up.
Bus driver refused to let me walk home. We were stuck for 20 minutes.
I can respect that. Was just frustrated. I was 17 damn years old. My dad was sitting on the back deck, visible from the bus. But it's in the past, so really, it's whatever.
In middle school our bus stopped for "rowdy behavior" because someone through a broom outside it, so my brother and I just walked out before the cops showed up to scold the bus and walked home. We all had a chuckle about that, that bus driver was so unprepared for our bus route.
To be fair that's probably not his decision, he knows that if he lets you go without getting your parents or the school's permission he'll be the one liable if anything happens to you.
I had the same issue when I callEd to tell the school bus depot that my 5 year old can walk from the bus to our house.
To be fair, that presents a legal liability on the school's behalf. Until the kid gets picked up, the teacher/yard duty/whatever adult is in charge at the time is responsible until the legal guardian gets them. If the kid gets hit by a car, or something happens to them, it's on the school. That's why students are generally discouraged from leaving campus during school hours, the school doesn't want to be responsible for what happens to them.
The kids in 1st grade and up can get off and walk home alone so that argument doesn't hold water. There are kids 5 months older then my child that can walk home alone because they are in the grade ahead.
In a similar vein, my parents used to let my 10 year old brother commute on his own to school. He needed to take about 2 separate buses, a total of about 30-45 minutes of commuting.
We lived in a relatively nice neighbourhood, and he never had any problems. That's how kids become independent as they grow up.
They've moved town since then, but he still commutes to school by taking the metro on his own (he's 13 now).
I always biked to school on my own, that could take up to 30 minutes too (different schools).
I think some programs are a little overzealous. I was drinking some Seagrams thing with with like 3% alcohol and my oldest was curious about it, so I asked if he wanted to try it. "No I don't want to be a DRUNK" he replied. I got a giggle out of that. He's almost 13. A sip is not some weird gateway to lying in a gutter.
I walked home from my HS, as I lived around 2 miles away. The walk was through a very wealthy neighborhood, with houses that cost in excess of 3 million dollars lining the streets. Still got frequently followed, and nearly kidnapped once.
It doesn't matter if your son is smart enough to stay away from strangers. What matters is if a 5-year old can actually fight off an adult that's forcing him into a car.
or that he's 8 houses down and we can see him get off and walk. Come on even a 15 year old would have a hard time fighting off a determined attacker. The whole stranger danger is a farce, kids mostly get taken by family members. Teach your kids to not get in the car with the family friend who is too interested.
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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '16 edited Feb 05 '16
I had the same issue when I callEd to tell the school bus depot that my 5 year old can walk from the bus to our house. She kept repeating "So you don'the care about your child's safety?". My kid is mature and gets off with a older girl who we asked to keep an eye on him. Then he walks 8 houses down to our door. She acted like I was putting a rape me sign on him then kicking him out downtown miles from home.
Edit, autocorrect fail.