4Real Forums: When do you let your children go

Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

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Topic: When do you let your children go

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Kathryn
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Posted: July 23 2009 at 10:45pm \| IP Logged

I haven't read others responses but I tend to be pretty cautious (anybody else can call it whatever they want...I call it good parenting). At any rate, I have a very responsible 10 yo dd and a not so responsible 9 yo ds and a neighborhood park about 1/2 mile away. May be not quite that far but there is NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY I would let mine go w/o an adult. Even my very responsible 10 yo DD w/ her very responsible almost 12 yo next door neighbor friend. And I know that mother wouldn't allow it either. We live in a cul de sac and I JUST starting allowing them out front together last Summer when no one else is around and they still have to stay where I can see them at all times from the front window. They are allowed to ride their scooters on the sidewalk and can play on the front porch, yard, driveway...assuming no other kids and/or adults are out and then the boundary is extended.

Sometimes it's best to just smile and say uh huh and let the subject drop as opposed to trying to defend yourself and getting into a debate. I'm finding I need to do this more and more and it's not easy for me at all!!

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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)

Red Cardigan
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 12:11am \| IP Logged

Agreeing with everybody here. I won't let mine walk to a little playground area at the end of our street--and they're 13, 12, and 11!

One reason why I won't can be found at this website(sorry, it has lots of ads). You can enter your address and see how many people in your area have s*x offender convictions. Some in our area include people convicted recently of assaulting kids our children's ages, and one elderly man recently convicted for having kiddie p*rn on his computer!

My girls would have the sense to watch out for most adult males--but I honestly don't know if a grandfatherly-like older man approached them, if they would have that same "radar" go off.

So I'm with them for now, and maybe next year I'll do what Jennifer in TX does and let my oldest have a cell phone--but I'd rather just go with her places!

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JennGM
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 8:25am \| IP Logged

Red Cardigan wrote:

I keep forgetting about this site, so thanks for the reminder. And we have some offenders very close by.

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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to

& ds1

'03 & ds2

'07
Family in Feast and Feria

stacykay
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Posted: July 24 2009 at 9:23am \| IP Logged

My neighborhood is pretty safe. I don't have any qualms going for walks alone, at night, for instance.
But, I do err on the side of caution when it comes to the kids. No one can stay home alone, unless they are 12. When it comes to leaving the younger boys (youngest is 5,) with an older, the older has to be at least 13.
So, in my reasoning, if I don't let them stay "home alone" within the locked home until they are 12, I don't let them go off unsupervised until they are 12. It isn't just that someone could hurt them, but what would happen if they, themselves were hurt.

And, of course, there is always the issue of legally, what your state would deem as prudent care and not neglect.

Golly, life was way more simpler when I was growing up in the '60's and '70's! But I lived in a little town in the country then, too.

God Bless,
Stacy in MI

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