How young do YOU let your children play outside alone?

ChutzPAh

Thu, May 29 2008, 8:29 pm

I seem to be one of the only mothers outside before the big kids get home from school. How young do you let your kids play outside by themselves? If you allow an older sibling to watch younger ones, how old is that sibling?
Maybe I'm just waaay old school, but I think I'm just being safe.

flowerpower

Thu, May 29 2008, 8:30 pm

I hate watching kids playing alone outside. I do not let my dc outside alone even though its a very safe block and there are a lot of others outside too. B"h all my neighbors are outside watching thier kids usually.

sunshine!

Thu, May 29 2008, 8:34 pm

My oldest is 5 and I can't see a day in the forseeable future that I can comfortably send him out to play alone unless it is in my (8 foot) fenced backyard......

NotInNJMommy

Thu, May 29 2008, 8:44 pm

flowerpower wrote:

So your 19 year old bachar would only be able to go on his speed bike in the yard with the gate closed and you watching him?

Speed bike? Only if you mean going very fast on a tricycle!

GAMZu

Thu, May 29 2008, 8:49 pm

Same as sunshine. I can't see myself letting my kids play outside alone in the near future. Oldest is about to turn 4.

Although there is one family on our block who lets her 2-3 year old kids out alone. What

raizy

Thu, May 29 2008, 9:45 pm

where do u all live. that makes a big difference. where I live u can let young children out alone . I would say from 6 and up. even my 4 yr old can go up and down the block and I only have to sit on the balcony to watch him I dont have to run after him. I do see him all the time though.and I have a miny park 10 doors away where all my children love to hang out . so I would let my 6 yr old go there. it is very safe.

chaylizi

Thu, May 29 2008, 9:49 pm

in my neighborhood I normally would feel no qualms about letting my kids out on my driveway. however, this year there have been attacks on frum men in broad daylight. this has never before been an issue. we even have security trucks circling our neighborhoods on shabbos & yt. currently my 5 year old can play on my front porch alone if the front door is open & I'm downstairs & able to check on her.

Dandelion1

Thu, May 29 2008, 9:56 pm

I don't know how anyone can call anyplace very safe in this day and age. Not very safe people have cars you know, and can drive into very safe neighborhoods.

SingALong

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:02 pm

I live on a 100% frum block that is a cul de sac. I let my DD of almost 4 years old play outside alone, but she is together with this huge group of friends so she is usually in someone's house anyways. I sit on my porch usually but if I need to run in for 5 minutes its ok. I also have a playground right next door where she usually plays.

Mama Bear

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:04 pm

on my block, 8 year olds routinely watch their little siblings... babies, 2 year olds... the mothers periodically come to the window to look out, but I always wonder how safe it is.

sunshine!

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:08 pm

BTW I forgot to mention that I also live on a cul de sac, but I believe that just as we wouldn't trust our children with a butcher knife or a bottle of Windex at age 4 or 5, we still cannot trust them on the street alone at that age. Aside from the trust issue with street safety and wandering, talking to strangers etc., I wonder if anything chalila were to happen to a child left outside alone, would the parents be slapped with charges of negligance? In my humble opinion, they should....

GAMZu

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:11 pm

I think 8 year olds need to be watched themselves to a certain extent. Confused

Definitely not to be given babies and toddlers to watch!

I have seen it all. Girls playing jump rope happily as their baby siblings sit in the strollers and cry their lungs out. Or they use the wheels of the stroller to hold their Chinese jumprope Smile

and the toddler is screaming from fright because these jumping girls are right in his face. LOL

, but not really.

cookielady

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:38 pm

my oldest many years ago asked when on I would let him cross the street himself. I couldnt even give him an aswer, but since he's away at yeshiva I must have at some point.

Mama Bear

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:54 pm

GAMZu wrote:

I think 8 year olds need to be watched themselves to a certain extent. Confused

and the toddler is screaming from fright because these jumping girls are right in his face. LOL

, but not really.

the8 yr olds I mentined are very responsible girls, when they are out with their little siblings they hardly even play, they are mostly hanging around shmoozing and watching ther litlte ones. I love talkig to them - they are my friends! however I dont think I'd have the bravery to let my 8 yr old watch his younger sibs.

GAMZu

Thu, May 29 2008, 10:59 pm

I read that a child doesn't have good enough judgment to cross the street alone until age 10.

When I had my 2nd baby right before pesach, I spent the yom tov at a family's house. The mother has children in the double digits, ranging (at that time) from a few months to married.

She confided in me that she doesn't feel right about her son (9 or 10 at the time) crossing the street alone. She always arranges for him to walk with his father or an older brother to shul, or she'd walk him herself wherever he needs to go.
Many times over yom tov my husband walked with him to shul, and that was a perfect arrangement because this boy liked my husband's company and didn't get annoyed that his mother is sending him with "babysitters."

She told me she feels bad, and feels like she's being overprotective, but feels this son needs the extra watching.

I told her what I read, about kids under 10 not having good enough judgment to cross streets alone, and she was so relieved that her feelings were justified.

Mama Bear

Thu, May 29 2008, 11:16 pm

they dont always have their younger sibs with them. somtiems they do, sometimes they dont. like today, Fraidy had her 6 month old baby brother who was very happy in his stroller and Shaindy had her 2 year old sister who was very sedately sitting on her trike,a nd they wre able to play al ittle together. if they do a really mean game of jumprope or wahtever, it's not while theyre responsible for the little ones.

it just so happens that these 2 neighbors love watching their baby sibs and beg their mothers to be allowed to take them out.