As a latchkey kid who walked my younger sister to school and stayed home alone with her from the time I was 7 or 8, It can be hard to take in that kids are given far less freedoms these days. Granted, I think I was given more responsibility than I should have had, but I think there is a balance. I would personally start younger than 11 with short trips out of the house. A 30-45 minute errand or walk around the neighborhood to let the kid test out their freedom.
Totally agree, there is a balance. And if you're leaving for just a short period, there's MUCH less of a chance that something unexpected will happen. I do appreciate her advice to go over what to do in various situations, though!
I don't actually disagree with any of this, but it also hurts my brain a bit. My parents were always on the more cautious end of the spectrum, and I was still allowed to be home alone for a couple hours by about age 10, and started babysitting at 12. That said, I can't fathom leaving my kids with a 12-year-old!
I have this feeling (not sure if it is accurate) that kids are less self-reliant these days. None of my friends have teens/tweens who babysit (sucks for me, with two small children!). My friend's 12 year old is afraid to be left alone at all. I feel like our over-protective culture of parenting has changed the landscape completely.
I have these rich memories of playing outdoor games and riding bikes with all my neighborhood kids and I feel really sad that I don't even have the option to give my kids the same freedom to wander the neighborhood when they are 8 or 9, without fear that someone will call CPS on me.
The culture has definitely changed since we were kids, I think in both good ways and bad. I mean I think car seats are great! I still can't believe I used to roll around in the way-back of my parents' Plymouth Reliant on the highway. But the pendulum has in some cases swung too far in the other direction. At the school playground, my kids aren't allowed to touch snow because it's considered a safety risk. WHAT? (I'm working on a newsletter about the lack of playground risks at schools now and how that's really detrimental.) This is one reason I said in the newsletter that age is NOT the most important determinant of these decisions, but I can see how that message may have gotten drowned out by her age recommendations.
My daughter is a very responsible 14 year old and I’ve been amazed at how few people I know will use her as a babysitter. I’m not sure I should have been babysitting as young as I did, but she can totally babysit toddlers and up with me a phone call away.
As a latchkey kid who walked my younger sister to school and stayed home alone with her from the time I was 7 or 8, It can be hard to take in that kids are given far less freedoms these days. Granted, I think I was given more responsibility than I should have had, but I think there is a balance. I would personally start younger than 11 with short trips out of the house. A 30-45 minute errand or walk around the neighborhood to let the kid test out their freedom.
Totally agree, there is a balance. And if you're leaving for just a short period, there's MUCH less of a chance that something unexpected will happen. I do appreciate her advice to go over what to do in various situations, though!
I don't actually disagree with any of this, but it also hurts my brain a bit. My parents were always on the more cautious end of the spectrum, and I was still allowed to be home alone for a couple hours by about age 10, and started babysitting at 12. That said, I can't fathom leaving my kids with a 12-year-old!
I have this feeling (not sure if it is accurate) that kids are less self-reliant these days. None of my friends have teens/tweens who babysit (sucks for me, with two small children!). My friend's 12 year old is afraid to be left alone at all. I feel like our over-protective culture of parenting has changed the landscape completely.
I have these rich memories of playing outdoor games and riding bikes with all my neighborhood kids and I feel really sad that I don't even have the option to give my kids the same freedom to wander the neighborhood when they are 8 or 9, without fear that someone will call CPS on me.
The culture has definitely changed since we were kids, I think in both good ways and bad. I mean I think car seats are great! I still can't believe I used to roll around in the way-back of my parents' Plymouth Reliant on the highway. But the pendulum has in some cases swung too far in the other direction. At the school playground, my kids aren't allowed to touch snow because it's considered a safety risk. WHAT? (I'm working on a newsletter about the lack of playground risks at schools now and how that's really detrimental.) This is one reason I said in the newsletter that age is NOT the most important determinant of these decisions, but I can see how that message may have gotten drowned out by her age recommendations.
My daughter is a very responsible 14 year old and I’ve been amazed at how few people I know will use her as a babysitter. I’m not sure I should have been babysitting as young as I did, but she can totally babysit toddlers and up with me a phone call away.