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In light of the horrific murder of the little boy who was murdered walking home the other week, what do you think about children under ten years old walking to and from places (school, the store, etc., etc.) by themselves?
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Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
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- Post n°1
Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Chris Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:47 am
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Cheaps Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:04 am
I walked home alone at age of 8/9.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Nystyle709 Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:56 am
In this day and age....it wouldn't be a good idea.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 pm
Nystyle709 wrote:In this day and age....it wouldn't be a good idea.
When was it?
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:07 pm
We live in a small town that has a relatively low crime rate, so there are young kids coming and going by themselves all the time. Miraculously nothing's happened to any of them. My best friend and I were the same age when she lived on the block and she got to walk down to the store by herself all the time but I could only go with my older brother and I always thought that was unfair but in retrospect I think she was a bit more savvy than I was about walking alone.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Marc™ Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:52 pm
If it's within a few (and by that I mean 3) blocks, then perhaps....but I'd be against a kid under the age of 10 regularly walking a mile's distance by themselves.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by wants2laugh Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:13 pm
heeelllllll NO!
I lived on a dead end street where everyone grew up and bought houses on the street. i mean this literally, not only did my 2 sisters buy houses next to my mom, but about 5 other families who went to school with my sisters also bought houses near their moms. So when i tell you we knew EVERYONE on the street, i mean it.
The thing was, that when unfamiliar cars drove down the street, my neighbors wrote the license plates down--- no kidding. We felt safe and I rode my bike around with groups of other kids, but someone was always watching us. The mothers would sit in the yards and playgrounds and watch---pretending to talk to eachother but watching. If i yelled, a dozen men would come running out of the house to see what happened. The neighborhood is still like that today. AND my sister still watched me walk to the bus stop everyday, and stood in the street til i got on my bus-- i was 12. she told me that she wanted to make sure i wasnt smoking, but she was just scared.
But normal neighborhoods? No Way - normally people dont intervene. Even if a kid starts screaming, people would think it was the parent, they would never think "abduction". They would think, "damn that kid is a brat". And those who do think kidnapping, probably woulnt try to stop it... call 911 yes, but interfere? no. That is why these kids get taken, raped, and killed. The parents and community let them down... but we dont want to think that way---we want to blame the criminal. Not that he isnt to blame, but not completely to blame, because he could have been stopped by precautions.
I lived on a dead end street where everyone grew up and bought houses on the street. i mean this literally, not only did my 2 sisters buy houses next to my mom, but about 5 other families who went to school with my sisters also bought houses near their moms. So when i tell you we knew EVERYONE on the street, i mean it.
The thing was, that when unfamiliar cars drove down the street, my neighbors wrote the license plates down--- no kidding. We felt safe and I rode my bike around with groups of other kids, but someone was always watching us. The mothers would sit in the yards and playgrounds and watch---pretending to talk to eachother but watching. If i yelled, a dozen men would come running out of the house to see what happened. The neighborhood is still like that today. AND my sister still watched me walk to the bus stop everyday, and stood in the street til i got on my bus-- i was 12. she told me that she wanted to make sure i wasnt smoking, but she was just scared.
But normal neighborhoods? No Way - normally people dont intervene. Even if a kid starts screaming, people would think it was the parent, they would never think "abduction". They would think, "damn that kid is a brat". And those who do think kidnapping, probably woulnt try to stop it... call 911 yes, but interfere? no. That is why these kids get taken, raped, and killed. The parents and community let them down... but we dont want to think that way---we want to blame the criminal. Not that he isnt to blame, but not completely to blame, because he could have been stopped by precautions.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:26 pm
wants2laugh wrote:heeelllllll NO!
I lived on a dead end street where everyone grew up and bought houses on the street. i mean this literally, not only did my 2 sisters buy houses next to my mom, but about 5 other families who went to school with my sisters also bought houses near their moms. So when i tell you we knew EVERYONE on the street, i mean it.
The thing was, that when unfamiliar cars drove down the street, my neighbors wrote the license plates down--- no kidding. We felt safe and I rode my bike around with groups of other kids, but someone was always watching us. The mothers would sit in the yards and playgrounds and watch---pretending to talk to eachother but watching. If i yelled, a dozen men would come running out of the house to see what happened. The neighborhood is still like that today. AND my sister still watched me walk to the bus stop everyday, and stood in the street til i got on my bus-- i was 12. she told me that she wanted to make sure i wasnt smoking, but she was just scared.
But normal neighborhoods? No Way - normally people dont intervene. Even if a kid starts screaming, people would think it was the parent, they would never think "abduction". They would think, "damn that kid is a brat". And those who do think kidnapping, probably woulnt try to stop it... call 911 yes, but interfere? no. That is why these kids get taken, raped, and killed. The parents and community let them down... but we dont want to think that way---we want to blame the criminal. Not that he isnt to blame, but not completely to blame, because he could have been stopped by precautions.
It's too bad more neighborhoods aren't like yours, W2L. I have the exact opposite train of thought when I have a family, I'm planning to move out to where there aren't any neighbors around, that way if anybody does come around they're going to have one hell of a time explaining themselves. Because only about half of our block is made up of people who you can rely on for help, the other half is the people you'd need to get help because of.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Hyacinth Girl Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:52 pm
I think it would depend on a few factors--
1. The location--how safe is it overall?
2. Distance--how far does the kid have to walk?
3. The child him/herself--how mature and observant are they? Is the kid aware of his surroundings, or oblivious to someone sneaking up on him because he's got the Ipod earphones plugged in, and at the same time, looking down texting while walking.
1. The location--how safe is it overall?
2. Distance--how far does the kid have to walk?
3. The child him/herself--how mature and observant are they? Is the kid aware of his surroundings, or oblivious to someone sneaking up on him because he's got the Ipod earphones plugged in, and at the same time, looking down texting while walking.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Shale Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:41 pm
Supernova wrote:Nystyle709 wrote:In this day and age....it wouldn't be a good idea.
When was it?
I agree it would be more dangerous today. The ppl in most neighborhoods are less involved than they were in the past and would likely not intervene if a strange kid was in trouble.
As for when, try 1954. I lived in the inner city when I was 9 and I would walk from our apartment in North St. Louis to hang out downtown (Big library, the Soldiers Memorial Museum and waterfront). I once almost walked to Illinois but didn't have the nickel toll to cross the Eads Bridge. (The toll taker asked me if I lived in Illinois - he woulda let me cross to go back home) I never had any problems in my walks, which went all over the city in other directions as well.
So, it may be the times we live in that make this a concern.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:43 pm
I think it's always been dangerous to a degree but back then there was less news coverage about it and today everybody's too scared to find out how much of the danger is valid and what's just paranoia.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Rainmaker Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:38 pm
I used to always walk alone even as young as 6. The walk to my bus stops were pretty far too. I'm not that old and there was always a danger even then but times are much different today. Not only is it more dangerous out there because of adult predators but even older groups of kids are very dangerous, especially to younger and smaller kids. Kids themselves are much more violent today.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:31 pm
Well there have always been adult predators, just didn't hear about them as much. And as for the kids, again there have always been pos older kids but the thing is they didn't used to be the rule, they were the exception because most kids were trained to behave. So from that point of view it would seem one area of blame for this new society of minor league terrorists is their own parents.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Nystyle709 Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:10 pm
Supernova wrote:Nystyle709 wrote:In this day and age....it wouldn't be a good idea.
When was it?
When crime was down and people weren't as crazy as they are now. I was walking home at 8 and 9 yrs old. I was a latchkey kid when I was 10.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Alan Smithee Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:22 pm
Supernova wrote:Nystyle709 wrote:In this day and age....it wouldn't be a good idea.
When was it?
1965-66. Earlier too.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:58 pm
Nystyle709 wrote:Supernova wrote:
When was it?
When crime was down and people weren't as crazy as they are now. I was walking home at 8 and 9 yrs old. I was a latchkey kid when I was 10.
People have always been crazy, there just wasn't as much news coverage about it.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Bluesmama Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:53 pm
Ten is at that age when they're really not babies anymore. I'd feel better if the child was with another one. But where do you draw the line? 13 is too old to decide, "Well, is it time to let Robbie walk by himself now?"
I think much has to do with where you live; however, "things" happen in surprising places.
I think much has to do with where you live; however, "things" happen in surprising places.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by CeCe Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:16 pm
I did in the first grade but a lot has changed since then.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by AtownPeep Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:26 pm
I probably wouldn't ever feel comfortable with my child walking long distances by themselves, and under 10 years old you can forget it. If it's not around the block, then it's not anywhere he or she needs to be walking to. The parents should be escorting them to and from school, or some place vital.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Nystyle709 Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:08 pm
Supernova wrote:Nystyle709 wrote:
When crime was down and people weren't as crazy as they are now. I was walking home at 8 and 9 yrs old. I was a latchkey kid when I was 10.
People have always been crazy, there just wasn't as much news coverage about it.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Chris Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:11 am
If my child were under the age of ten, I wouldn't let them leave off the street by themselves.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by wants2laugh Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:15 am
i was 5 when Adam Walsh was abducted from the middle of a sears store and his head was found floating down a river. It was terrifying because he was playing a sample video game console in the store--- all kids would go and play while their parents were shopping. That was around 79-- that should have been a wake up call to all parents everywhere. They never found his murderer either--- they think it was the partner of henry lee lucas, one of the most notorious serial killers in US history, but there is no proof.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by TSJFan4Ever Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:35 am
Probably not, unless the place they were going was within my sight, like going to the neighbour's house or across the street.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by Supernova Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:39 am
wants2laugh wrote:i was 5 when Adam Walsh was abducted from the middle of a sears store and his head was found floating down a river. It was terrifying because he was playing a sample video game console in the store--- all kids would go and play while their parents were shopping. That was around 79-- that should have been a wake up call to all parents everywhere. They never found his murderer either--- they think it was the partner of henry lee lucas, one of the most notorious serial killers in US history, but there is no proof.
This is something I wanted to point out, several people here have said it was safer to do so when they were kids, well WHAT is the cutoff point? This was over 30 years ago that this happened to this 6 year old boy, and a lot of people have said even for 30 years ago his mother had NO business leaving him alone, that what kind of a mother was she? how careless could she be? But that was NOT the norm of thinking back then when it happened. So what was it, was it 1979 when this happened to Adam Walsh was killed that it was suddenly more dangerous for kids? I mean to say it was safe at one point and dangerous at another, there would have to be a time between point A and point B when that change occurred.
And actually it's more surprising that there weren't more things happening in previous times, like it's a wonder more kids weren't killing each other back in the 1800s because the country wasn't as crowded, there weren't as many neighbors, there were no age laws about guns, 9 year olds could take rifles hunting, but somehow back then they managed to grow up usually without having killed anybody. And today it's the exact opposite even though today we have the oh so important age laws that tell kids they can't be trusted with guns, but the laws don't work because people don't follow them anyway. NOW when guns are illegal for kids to have, they have them tenfold, now that guns are a taboo thing with the 'BAD! Don't touch!" mentality attached to them, everybody can't wait to get their hands on them. Kids are not being brought up to be responsible with them; in the times when kids were out hunting, they KNEW what to do with guns, they knew how to use them, they knew how to be careful with them, etc., you very rarely see that today because everybody's too scared of guns + kids but I really don't know that it's doing anybody any good because it's proof shining through that ignorance is not bliss.
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Re: Should kids under the age of ten be allowed to walk home alone?
by RedBedroom Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:57 am
Hyacinth Girl wrote:I think it would depend on a few factors--
1. The location--how safe is it overall?
2. Distance--how far does the kid have to walk?
3. The child him/herself--how mature and observant are they? Is the kid aware of his surroundings, or oblivious to someone sneaking up on him because he's got the Ipod earphones plugged in, and at the same time, looking down texting while walking.
Exactly. This isn't an issue where one age fits all.
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