How old should my child be before I let him roam the neighborhood?

Question

My child just turned eight and is fairly responsible. I live in an apartment complex that the only exit is onto a major street less than 100ft from a major intersection. It started with me letting him hang around our building. Currently he unofficially has the whole complex as lond as I know where he is and he checks in. He is currently becoming proficient on his bike. I am not worried about the major intersection because he is very familiar with it, but it means that, when he gets to that point, it's going to be a big jump on the distance he travels. I have a tendancy to be overprotective. I just want to know what's legal and what's reasonable.

Answer 1

Age has nothing to do with it, it's all about maturity and respect. In our neighborhood, kids are allowed to roam, and they are always climbing the fence into other peoples back yards, littering, teasing animals. If your child would do that without an adult watching them, I would say he's not old enough. And please be honest, it's not cool to let him treat your neighbors like crap. I had to call one of our neighbors and let her know her eight year old was tearing our fence up. She was shocked, but came around the corner in time to see it. thankfully, because she never would have believed it.

With my son I gradually increased the distance he was allowed to travel, keeping an eye on him and increasing the amount of time i didn't watch him, and we started off with every trip talking about safety rules and respect. Now he's almost twelve, and he can ride his bike down to the store or over to friends houses. He still has to tell me when he's going and where, so I don't worry.

Answer 2

gosh, i don't know. my baby is only 3 months old and i can't even think about him being big enough to roam the neighborhood. i guess i'm thankful that we live on a military base...at least.

gosh, it's a scary world out there. i'd venture that as long as he is responsible and knows his way around the area and has friends with him, then i'd let him roam once he's 10 or 12. i think that's reasonable. i think that's a decent age for them to be home alone and therefore also reasonable to allow them more freedom around the neighborhood.

some friends of ours have a 7 year old and he roams around his street with friends, but there is very little traffic and cars go slow b/c of kids. plus, it's a military base, so there's a little extra safety involved.

i would say probably 10.

go with your instincts, though. you sound like a good parent:)

take care and happy holidays!

Answer 3

When I was eight I was not allowed to bicycle further than the end of our street... about 7 houses on one side, 3 on the other. I had a very close friend who was 11 and I could go around the block with him.
It wasn't until I was 11 and we moved that I could go all through the neighborhood, and when I turned 14 I was allowed anywhere.

Tell your son EVERYTHING he needs to know about street smarts. Warn him against stopping to give directions, and all that. I was never told these things by my mom so I had to learn for myself.

Which is more important though... keeping your child "safe" from the outside world, or letting him grow from experience? You can keep him naive, too scared to let him out on his own, he can grow up and have to depend on his friends for everything, or you can teach him now so he can be smart and independant and not have to rely on other people in his life.

Children need certain independance, even as young as 8 they need to know they can explore their surroundings and check back with mom. Chances are, if you give him the independace early on he'll steer clear of being a wild child later. If I had been introduced to things years ago I wouldn't be doing them now just for the excitement.

Answer 4

This is a tough one. When I was eight I was a very responsible child, but my dad wouldn't let me out on my own too far because of other people... the media scares us into thinking kidnappings etc could happen every day.

But I think if you have full trust in your child, and as long he is aware of the responsibilities you're handing over, it should probably be fine. Maybe would you feel more comfortable that he wasn't allowed out on his own, ie he always needs a friend with him?

Good luck with your decision though.

Answer 5

apparently age 9 is when kids can actually judge safe street crossing
HOWEVER they are NEVER out of risk for pedophiles or general sicko's
plus kids really shouldnt be "roaming" the neighbourhood
they should be playing in a BACK YARD.. I strongly suggest you get your priorities around buying your own home rather than raising a kid in an apartment

no age is safe.. its better to be over protective

as far as saying what age is legal - Austria?? Argentina?? Australia??

Answer 6

He is only 8...Don't you see how many children are abducted each day...or how many are found lifeless? How about looking on line to see how many child predators are in your area... I wouldn't let him out of my sight at all... Bring him to parks, zoos, or make sure another parent is watching them with their own...check in with those parents...
You should be overprotective..The ONLY WAY to be!!! You give him more and more freedom now at this age, what is happening at 12-13 not coming home and not knowing where he is? A good mother is an overprotective mother...

Answer 7

Call be over protective too..but my son who is 9...cannot be out of my site.
We have a big back yard and he plays out there with his friends or if he plays in the front yard and culdasac he has to be watched...Like when I mow the lawn...wash the car etc...he can play in front.
In this day in age you can never be too save. I have heard too many cases where kids are taken right infront of a group of friends....I live in California and there have been a few just like that..and they are never scene again...its not worth the risk...

Answer 8

If you feel he's safe and he's responsible enough, it's your call. My son was given the run of our neighborhood (also pretty close to a major road/intersection) this summer, he was 7 1/2. He was given his boundaries, I trust him to respect that, and he did fine. Every kid is different, but if yours is ready for it, let him go.

Answer 9

My kids are 11 and 9 and I don't let them roam around our apartment complex at all, they have to be where I can see them. Actually they don't even want to roam around here,too many weirdos

Answer 10

Its not the child you have to worry about its the other people. 8 is to young to roam freely wether or not you trust him. I say 12 is a good age! That's just me.....