Would you let your 5 year old play out?

[jools]

Hi all. I have a dilemma with my 5 year old. My husband thinks my son is old enough to go and play out in the street but I disagree. We live in quite a built up urban area with lots of houses, the only thing is if he was to go outside there are no windows in my house where I can keep a check on him. He's not very mature for his age either. Is he too young?

 

[leeanne]

No way. I've read one too many stories of kids going missing and I won't chance that with my child, not matter how safe one thinks there street is.

My older kids are 6 1/2 and 8 and I still don't and probably won't for many, many years.

 

[v2007]

Nope, my daughter played in the garden till she was 6 then we moved to a flat so no garden, and its only in the last 18 months thats she has been allowed to her mates house etc.

V xxx

 

[kiwimama]

If I were in your circumstance I wouldn't allow it. If I couldn't keep an eye out for him, I wouldn't be doing it.

 

[Tasha]

Absolutely not, my son is 5 and there is no way I would let him go play on his own. I do know lots of parents that do let there children out from even younger than that (one particular family let there son play out from 3), so it is obviously a personal choice.

 

[mommyof3co]

Nope, we don't let my oldest, who will be 7 in April play out front by himself. He can play in the back because we have a privacy fence but that's it

 

[Minstermind]

I think it depends entirely on the situation, area, etc... we live in a quiet cul-de-sac and have a very large front facing window, and my son plays just out the front with his two friends (neighbors). He is always in eyesight of me and not allowed further than that area, and I feel very comfortable with this (he's 7 now by the way, but he started playing outside a wee bit between 5 and 6). The area we are in is very quiet and the town itself is relatively small.

I would not by any stretch of the imagination allow him to play outside alone nor would I do so in an urban area, and **definitely** not without windows to be able to see him at all times. In your particular situation, it would be a big fat no.

 

[Blah11]

Oh no way, Too many evil/sick people about!

 

[Serene123]

No way! I wasn't allowed out in the street until I was 11 and the world wasn't even this scarey back then. I'm dreading letting her out on her own. I think I'll get her microchipped

 

[sabby52]

Defo not, 5 is way to young to be out on the street by himself, I mind a little boy who will be 5 this year and he still doesnt really have any road sense, if he gets excited he will be straight out on the road without a thought. Dan played in the garden until he was 8, then when we moved house he was allow to go to his friends garden to play. I think he was about 9 when he was allow to play out and ride his bike around, but Dan has always been very, very mature for his age, at 9 alot of people thought he was 11-12.

 

[tasha41]

Nope!! We were allowed to play in our totally fenced backyard when we were kids and that was it, and there was 3 of us out there not just one.

 

[hypnorm]

God no, I was almost 11 before i was allowed out by myself.
Ewan is 4 and half and has no road sense and is too trusting of people, it only takes a couple of secs for a child to dissapear.

 

[morri]

Well depends where you live really I was out alone as soon as I was in school so maybe wait 2 years? (I walked to school as most kids do here who live in Villages) So of theres a play ground thats close by he could play there as far as he knows all the rules (like dont talk to strangers and be home at that time etc)

 

[Cariad_bach]

Hell no.

Im lucky, outside my house is a small communal green owned by 6 houses on our little horse shoe bit .. all my kids (and the neighbours kids) play on that little green in summer when all us neighbours are outside chatting ...

...there's a few feral kids round my way (allowed to roam etc) and there a couple of lads in my sons class at school (their 5 to 6) and they roam .. its so sad, anything could happen

 

[Minstermind]

Feral kids...LOL....I like that phrase..

Yeah, I have to say, there is one ''feral kid'' around here who was allowed not just outside the front to play at 3 years old, but was wandering around the entire estate and when I first met him, age 4, he was already over the wall and into our estate. He was inside our house, ate our food, etc.. and I'd never even seen his parents or had a clue where they lived.

Then one night the father came driving around the neighborhood, basically knocking on different doors, to pick up his son for the night (this was dusk). He was at our house. I was totally shocked! He's done it a number of times since, just coming around and finding which house his son is in and taking him home. Unbelievable.

Urban areas..no way. I have to be honest too and say I felt a lot more uncomfortable when I lived in the states with the idea of letting a child out anywhere anytime to play, even in a rural town. It could just be the media scaremongering but I heard way more stories there about random stranger kidnappings and whatnot than I have since moving here to Ireland. Obviously that doesn't promote a guarantee or anything, so I'm not saying it does, but I definitely felt more comfortable here, with the size of this town and the area we are in, and my ability to see him at all times, to let him play out in our front yard with his friends.

 

[Dinoslass]

My children were always playing in the garden, but then again we have a really big garden, so there was no need to go out on the street. The only rule I had was whether they could swim or not, as we have a big pont, so if they can't swim there is no playing outside alone.
I think it is a dilemma though. I think it so depends on the street you live in, and indead if you can keep an eye. If not, I'd say 5 is too young.

 

[JuicyLucy]

I wouldnt allow it, especially when i can't see where they are etc.

 

[Lillipop]

Where I used to live my front garden was adjacent to a little green separated by a little footpath all the way round it shared by 3 other houses and my older two used to play on that with the other kids but I always used to leave my front door open but I would never allow them to go wandering about the crescent on their own!
My friend (well ex-friend) used to let her daughter who is the same age as my eldest (8) wander the streets and all sorts! She even knocked on my door once at 9pm as she had snook out!!!!
Where I live now there is a park about 200m up the footpath and theres no way I will let them go up there on their own either! If I cant see them I'm not at all keen!
x
Well I say 200m its more like 500m but it goes round a bend too haha.

 

[divadexie]

No way! Even I wouldn't let my son play in the street and we live in a village, everyone knows everyone type of place. I just think its really common and lazy to let your kids run around on the street (dont mean to offent, just my personal opinion) like whats wrong with doing some hobbies together with your child or activities they can do in the garden.

My mum lives on a new housing estate and kids as young as 2 and 3 are allowed to play out on the street

 

[Lillipop]

Well I would have loved to let my two play in the back garden but you couldn't even swing a cat around in it
If I had any concerns they were in any danger playing out the front I wouldn't allow it personally! We always do activities together aswell
Luckily my new house's back garden has enough room to swing 10 cats round in it

x