Would You Let Your Children Walk to School Alone?

In our city, children would be accompanied by adults for going to and coming back from school, until they are in grade three. The concerns are from traffic accidents, stranger harming, etc. But from early childhood, they should be taught about traffic rules, including lights, walking habits, street crossing, etc. Street and landmark identification, assistance finding, home address and telephone, etc. should also be taught in early ages. A card or badge could help if they start to walk to school alone.

for me to let children go to school alone is a good step so that children learn to be independent. Without familiarize themselves they go to school, for me, just create a dependency that would make it difficult for the parents themselves.

I would love to let my kids walk to school alone...but the problem here is stray dogs. My younger one is too young to walk to school alone...but my older one isn't...and I wouldn't mind much except for the stray dogs. My son is pretty responsible and even though the traffic in India is bad...I know he would be careful and fine if he walked to school alone. BUt the stray dogs are something I'm scared of myself. If my husband had his way, our son would be walking to school despite the stray dogs. I wish I had tips to help him with the stray dogs but I don't:( And my husband's tip of throwing a stone at them is not a very good idea (I feel).

i think the one thing that is important if you do allow your child(ren) walk to school alone is to make sure they are in a group. just because their is no adult around doesn't mean they need to be alone. I would allow my child(ren) to walk to school without me, but they would have to be with other children. it is more likely then not that they will be safter if they were always in a group setting and never totally alone. I don't think it makes you a bad parent at all. of course most of us would want to be able to take our children to school and pick them up and be there all the time. but that is just not possible for all of us. so if you give them sound advice on what to do, make sure they stay in groups, and know now what to do if anything ever happen, you are doing your job as a parent

Back when I was a child, it was very common for children to walk to school without fear of harm. But these days? No way, I would never let a child of mine walk to school. Karen

Hi I'm glad you took this up. No, I won't let my kids walk to school or vice versa alone, especially to home. In my time, me and my siblings used to walk to school because we can't afford a ride. But in the past, the roads were still safe and we had nothing to fear about snatcher or God forbid, gangsters or any bad elements in society. We used to enjoy walking to school or home but nowadays, we can't really our kids go home or go to school on their own. I always accompany them in the pedicab (not school bus, we commute) to school and in the afternoon, my husband sees to it that he or one of our cousins pick them up from school.

If your kids practice walking with you walking with them, and they have older siblings or older neighbors to walk with, then walking to school is a good exercise in self sufficiency. My children walked to school, always, but we did not live far away from school.

Hum, no I wouldn't let my kids walk to school alone. To many things could go wrong with letting your kid go to their school alone. It has been proven, with the recent one in Florida. Things could go wrong with your child just standing outside their home while waiting for the bus. This was proven where I live, and this child was never found. I either take my kids to school, or I will wait outside for them to get on the bus and off. Parents that let their kids walk alone, aren't bad parents. It's their choice to do this. They have their reasons and I have mine. I think if your going to let your child walk alone to school, is to keep their eyes and and ears open to their surroundings. Don't stop for any reason, and if something does happen, to scream like there was no tomorrow. I mean cause a huge scene, so that someone around them has to look up to see what's going on. I don't care how old they are, they should throw a 2year old tantrum, that it will scare off anyone that's trying to take them away.

not at all we should not let children to go school alone but at a same time should not be barrier for them at that age and let them play and live their life

2 words...NO WAY! I live very close to an elementary school and most people would be shocked if they saw the kids that walk to school and how many of them are alone. I mean these children are 5 and 6 years old...tiny little things. I cannot imagine letting my kids walk and they are older than that. I understand that some people have no choice but I would at least try to find someone else that lives near me that goes to the same school that maybe my child could walk with. I would be a total wreck everyday thinking about my child walking. With all the sick things that you hear about on the news, there is just no way!

i say that if parents can find the time to drive their children to school then they should find the time to walk them to school as well. it would also bode well with weight gain that parenting brings .

that's foolish to send a child on to the roads alone...... this seems that those parents are really careless about their child...... yes. the parents who let their children walk alone are bad parents.... a boy/girl may go by himself after a certain age like, after he is 10 years old.... none of the tips can save a child when he is in danger.. how can a child follw all the tips his parents told to him.....?

For me it depends on the age of my Child. But I think if ever my child would start going to school already I would not let her go to school alone. I will be the one to send the child to school daily. I would try to chose other means not to add to the pollution but as the same as how we wanted to keep our environment safe. That is also as much as I wanted my child to be always safe.

I would not as there are lots of significant and potential risks and dangers that the child is exposed to and that is child neglect. I want my child to learn how to become independent but I don't want to compromise his or her safety. Safety should be the primary concern besides there are lots of others ways to instill sense of independence and responsibility to a child. If your house if just beside the school, I'll just keep an eye!

I don't think it makes you a bad parents if you let your child walk to school. But in all honestly I wouldn't let my kids walk alone!! I walk them to school every morning and we live right across the street!! There are just too many horror stories about kids getting snatched on their way home from school and all so I can't risk it!!

I don't think it makes you a bad parent but there is noway I would let my girls walk to school alone. If they were in a huge group of other children..maybe..because their schools are only a few blocks but alone..no. I guess my best advice to keep children safe walking to school would have to be that they stay in a group while doing so. The world is just not a safe place for children.

Today's world is quite different from where I grew up. I could play the whole day from morning until sunset without my parents worrying too much. I don't have my own children yet, but I can't imagine that my nephews and niece, they are below 11 years old, walk to school alone. Even now I am all big and an adult, I am scared to walk alone with so many dangers lurking, let alone thinking about these children who are innocent and vulnerable. I think it's best to ask or hire at least a couple of grown ups to accompany these children when they walk alone to and from the school. It is scary because these 'predators' would probably watch them walking everyday and only wait when to act.

No I won't let my kids walk to school. Moreover, it is to far to walk. If we live near the school we still prefer to send my son to school.

I am paranoid about the safety of my children, en route to school, which is not far from our home, but my daughter walks in every morning, with her best friend now, as she is in High School, and my son, actually asked me, to let him walk with them, as it is the same route to the Primary School, and most of his class mates walk in alone now. I only stopped picking him up, just after the Summer hols, as he asked me to let him come home alone, he is 10 years old, and i think is starting to want his independence, without*mummy* waiting for him. I agreed, but i have planned his route, albeit short, but i have told him where to cross the road (the safest part), there is an island in the middle, so he can negotiate both sides of traffic on that part of the road, also, i drummed it into both of them, straight home!! do NOT talk to anybody who may approach you, that you do not know, you just come straight home. It has worked good up to now, he comes straight home, and assures me, he will never talk to any stranger. I do still worry though, but unfortunately, we can not wrap them up in cotton wool forever, giving them a bit of responsibility, breeds responsibility, but we will always worry about our kids.

Above of all, I let my kids walk to school alone.But then, several seconds later I go after my kids Who does't know that.