10 year old ... are they old enough to go out alone?

[Elli21]

I am a member who hasn't been active in a long time...and I found this site so helpful throughout my last pregnancy and my three childrens younger years.

My question is, what age do you allow a child to go out and play?

Times are so different now, and when I was her age I was out with my friends at every opportunity.

We don't live near the school she attends so most of her friends live the other side of town.
My eldest is 10 and my son is 8, could they go to the park together?

They both want the freedom but I am reluctant to give it to them and im just wondering whether im being totally reasonable or a bit clingy.

 

[Natasha2605]

How far away is the park?

Summer is 6 this year and she can go out to play with her two friends but only where they can be seen by the mums.

 

[sabby52]

Dec is 8 and goes out out to play by himself all the time has been doing so for over a year now, he hasnt been to the park yet as both parks are at the other side of the main road, it may be another year or two before I let him go to the park alone, only because of the busy road.

 

[Nibblenic]

Mines just about to turn 7 and not ready to play out on her own, we've tried once or twice but she isnt that road aware or socially advanced enough not to get into bother with older kids.

However I know some of her peers are allowed to play out. I think it very much depends on your child and the local enviroment

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I let dd1 from the summer holidays of year 6, so 10/11. She was allowed to the park which was a 10 minute walk and the shops which are about the same, we live in a pretty small town but do have a rather busy road so she was always told that she had to cross at the traffic lights nearby.
DD2 is nearly 8 and personally I wouldn't let them out together, that's them though as they argue constantly and clash quite a bit so there's no way I would trust them out together. DD2 is already asking to go out but I have told her she will pretty much the same age as DD1 was and tbh I can't see that changing

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Depends on roads/area etc amd child. Neither of mine go out alone and they are 10 and 11 x

 

[Banshee]

As a mum my heart says that 10 is quite young but I also know that at age 11 I was getting the bus to school 20 miles away every day and home again which was in a city and I was trusted to get there and back so I think it's probably OK x

 

[mum22ttc#3]

As a mum my heart says that 10 is quite young but I also know that at age 11 I was getting the bus to school 20 miles away every day and home again which was in a city and I was trusted to get there and back so I think it's probably OK x

That was the main decider with DD1, although she was 10, nearer 11 when she first started going out I would have waited longer if I could have done. A year later though and she had to get a bus to secondary nearly 20 miles away so it kind of felt like we would have been throwing her in the deep end iykwim?

 

[Amsi]

Last summer was the first summer I gave my DD more freedom. She's 11.
Shes been allowed to go to the park with friends since probably age 10 (its across the street) but always with a buddy. Her friends leave..she leaves
I started letting her go to the corner store with a friend during the summer but never by herself. And I wouldn't allow either of her younger siblings to go with her (ages 6 and 8)...although she would normally pick them up a popsical of freezee

I do remember having a lot more freedom at her age, but freedom can be a scary thing for sure!

 

[Natsku]

I had loads of freedom by 10, going to town etc. I'll be giving Maria a lot more freedom by around 8 or so as is the norm here, most kids have the run of the town around that age, certainly by 10.