How Old Do You Think a Child Has to Be to Walk to School Alone?

Never. I have been through and seen enough. I will spare you the details.

To me, there is no difference between 10 and 17. I wont even walk alone.

Responsible has nothing to do with the strength of a grown sick person.

I do not allow my children to walk to school alone. I always go with them and even wait with the younger child until she goes into the school. I live in a neighborhood I would consider fairly safe. As I tell my children, its not them I don't trust, it's everyone else.

My daughter is 10 and I would not allow her to walk to school (we are 4/10ths of a mile from school, but there's a 4 lane street she must cross and no sidewalks). We walk together to school often, and the boy across the street has been riding his bike to school alone since he was 9. But I'm just not comfortable with it. I think the answer totally depends on the child and the area, though.

In the time you've been stressing about this one missing girl, MANY children have been killed and injured in automobile crashes. But, most of us put our kids in cars and drive them somewhere every day, don't we? Me driving my daughter (age 10) to school is the most dangerous thing in her life. If we lived within a mile or so of her school, you bet she'd be walking/biking there.

ADDED: There are NOT "so many more child kidnappings, molestations and murders..."! The crime rate for all serious and violent crimes are down as low or lower than they were in the 1970s! Please go find accurate information and not the scare-tactic media that makes money off of mis-information. And read the book "Free-range Kids" for real information and the harm we are doing to our children in raising them to be fearful and dependent on us. My 10 year-old can't find another kid whose parents allow them to cross the street to play on the playground! They almost won't let them go when I'm along!!

I live near where this happened. Many 4th-6th graders walk a few blocks to our neighborhood school. Lots more parentts and groups of walkers today than a week ago. : (

Raising our children is often a dance between giving them independence and keeping them safe. The decision between the two is hard...we do the best we can with the information we have. And sometimes things go wrong.

Jessica's Mom must be dying inside and beating herself to death with her decision, but the only adult to blame is the abductor.

I remember walking to school in kindergarten. The school was only 3 blocks away, but the route was not visible from my house. I rode the bus through 6th grade then walked a bit over a mile to junior high. Never thought a thing of it, except I wanted a ride in junior high instead of walking. = ) Once I had kids, I have never let them walk anywhere alone, even my 12 year old. I may sound overbearing, but I just took the route that they need to team up. I am not willing to take the risk of something happening to them. I may even hold this attitude until they are driving. I am not sure I like walking around by myself. The percentages that something may happen to any of us is pretty low, but it does happen and I would rather err on the side of safety. Plus it is more fun to hang with another. Hope this helps.

I choose not to live my life in fear. The media diplays to us in graphic detail every kidnapping in the entire US. Obviously, this was not the case when we were youngsters.

I let my 6 year old walk TO school a few years back - only 1 block and no busy streets to cross. I let him walk FROM school (new school) when he was 9 - about 3/4 mile, 1 busy street to cross (I'm a million times more concerned about him getting run over than getting kidnapped). I would trust BOTH my kids to walk home now (11 and 7), except they have to be to swim practice 30 mins after school gets out, so time-wise it makes no sense. I do not trust them to walk TO school together now, ONLY because they lollygag and play around, and they'd both probably be late every day. I do let my oldest ride his bike to his neighbor friends' houses, and it drives me nuts that they don't allow their 5'7" monstrously tall 11 year olds (twins) ride over to my son's house (really, is someone going to mess with kids that big?). Instead, all the neighbor kids hole up in their homes and play video games. This is good for them? What are we teaching them?

We have discussed at length, multiple times about strangers and safe crossings, and we role play situations that might come up. I continually show them 'creepy man's' house (a registered sex-offender that likes to stand out and wave to every car that passes by), and talk about how they should not ever talk to him and why (even though they don't ever have reason to walk past his house). I live in a nice, safe, suburban development, which I'm sure has some impact on my choices. My youngest is very mature, by oldest not so much.

Bottom line - IMO - is they need to learn responsibility and they NEED to be put in situations that make them nervous. I feel this is very important to helping them grow into responsible, driven adults. I do not want them to rely on me, and/or other adults for the rest of their life, as a result of being sheltered their entire childhood.

I will admit, that I am majorly in the minority, but then what else is new... I do fell VERY strongly about this though, and I just grin and bear it when my friends look at me like I've got 3 eyeballs when I tell them I left my 7 year old alone for 10 mins while I ran to pick up his brother from swim (by the way that's not illegal in my state in case anyone was wondering).

It depends on the kid and the neighbourhood. My kids don't walk alone, they walk together with two other kids. I stopped walking them when they were 6 and 9. We taught them about safety and they even took a safety class on walking to school through Kidproof Canada. Abductions don't only happen to kids. They happen to adults as well, but abductions are still very rare, and we have to live our lives. There are so many benefits that children get from walking to school. It is healthier, they gain independence, they are better able to focus on their studies, it cuts down on environmental pollution, they get to know their communities better and the list goes on and on. I do live in a low crime area, our neighbbourhood is very pedestrian friendly, and the one and only child stranger abduction in our city occured in 1984.

IMO, with the world we live in now, I would not let my 10 year old child walk alone to school, even if it was a good neighborhood. There are so many more child kidnappings, molestations and murders.... it is really sad. When my daughter started her 8th grade year, we live three blocks from the middle school she attended and she was 14 years old, I watched her walk from our house until she got to the school and she even texted me as soon as she got to school saying she was there. Before then I only let her walk to school if she walked with one of the neighborhood girls. Any other time I would drop her off and pick her up from school. I am such a freak about these things and so as a mother this was my way of protecting my child. She is 15 now and her high school is over 5 miles away so she get's a ride to and from school and next year she will begin driving herself to school which again, I will probably become protective again.

OK, I will admit that my children are driven to/from school, but is because it's too far away for them to walk. I am not, however, with the majority of responses here. I walked about 1 mile to/from school from K-3rd grade, sometimes alone and sometimes with other kids, and had no problems. I think parents today are way too overprotective and need to realize that the cases of child abduction by strangers are very rare. I'm familiar with the Jessica Ridgeway case and have been following it on the news. My heart breaks too when I think about what her family must be going through, but I don't think her mother was negligent by letting her daughter walk to school.
For some enlightenment on the topic, I would highly recommend the book Free-Range Kids, How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children by Lenore Skenazy.

I watch my 14 year old daughter walk to the bus stop everyday. The stop is only 5 houses down from my house and I can see her from my window. A child or teenager walking by themselves is just not smart IMO.
I actually take and pickup my 4th grader from the bus stop everyday.

There was a 12 year old boy that a couple tried to lure into their car a few weeks ago in a neighboring town. Why take a chance?

FYI... I live in a statistically "safe" neighborhood. Places are typically safe until they are not.

the same could happen to a 17 year old...you have more of chance being hit by a car walking to school, the playground and so on...in my opinion you cant live in a bubble. teach safety and independence and they'll be safer in the future.

i mean if you're still walking your 17 year old to school are they not walking alone at night to and from friends ? at some point you have to take responsible risks? right?

i live in a VERY low crime safe area...2 kids in the last week were asked to get in the car with adults..they were both 11 and 12 year old BOYS, both failed attempts, both boys were off of the bus walking the 1/2 a block home...it stinks but you have to teach them safety lessons and trust them at some point...both of these boys were taught and were fine

I live one block down from the high school (left side of the street) and the 3-5 school (right side of the street). To the right of that school is the middle school. In front of the middle school is the K-2 school. All of our schools are less than a half mile from our house on well-traveled roads with other kids and parents walking to school, lots of people dropping kids off or picking them up, and crossing guards. My high schoolers walk to and from school and have been doing so since 4th grade. My 8 year old (3rd grade) walks with me to school because I enjoy the walk. In the afternoon, an older sibling or I meet him there or at the intersection 2 houses down from us. When he was in second grade he was allowed to walk around the block ahead of me and wait for me to meet him after school while I walked with my Kindergartner. My youngest is in 1st grade and I walk him to and from school all the way.

So...I don't think 10 is too young, but it probably makes sense to make sure that children walk with other kids whenever possible. It's sad that this girl is missing, but the statistics of that happening are small compared with other ways that children are in danger every day (like car accidents).

Not alone. I remember walking to elementary school but I had my sisters and neighbors walk with us every day. Right now we dont live too far from the elementary school and I was going to let them start riding bikes when my daughter is in second grade and my son 4th grade so that way they are always together. The foot and bike traffic is sooooo heavy in the morning and night that I don't see how someone could really even think of abducting in the area but you never know. I think I would rather my kids be on a bike than walking. Although I cannot blame the mother at all 3 blocks really isnt that far before she became a "group"

This one is really weighing on my mind as well. I hope they find her and those possible sightings in Maine lead to her safe return.

Whether it's a 10-year-old girl snatched on the way to school or a college student snatched just outside a concert with hundreds and hundreds of people only yards away (it happened in our state, not an "I heard this" tale but all over the news)....Either way, women of all ages are not necessarily safe even in supposedly safe situations. We can't wrap kids up in cotton balls forever but we also can be sure they don't walk places alone (or even in pairs; two little girls both disappeared together over the summer in Iowa and still haven't been found as far as I know, though they were not going to school). We also have to realize that even safe neighborhoods are no real protection. Sad, but true. Going by the crime rate in a city isn't very useful.

My daughter is 11 and her school is way too far for her to walk anyway, and I'm glad of that. It won't ever be an issue with us.

It's just not safe to walk alone as a kid no matter the age. Even for grown women it isn't safe unless they take certain precautions.

My oldest didn't walk home until jr. high. My youngest is 10 and I haven't let her walk home yet. I'm sure it's fine. But I'm so paranoid!
On a side note, that's a long walk to school! I think here, they provide buses if you live more than a mile away in elementary school. In jr. hi, I think it's 2 miles. In high school it's 3.

My oldest was 11 almost 12 and he only walks home from school not to school. I wont let him walk to school. When walking home there are more going the same ways as there would be in the morning. And letting him do that was very hard to do but I had no choice in the matter. We live less than a mile from the school and we both worked.

The house we choose backs up to the elementary & middle school property and I walk my kids every day (although they are still quite young). So I think they should never walk alone. I can see them from my upstairs window once they are too cool to walk through the grassy area with me.

I just this moment finished reading the Jaycee Lee Dugard memoir. Her kidnapper used a stun gun on her, rendering her incapable of running away.

Unfortunately, mental illness and sex perverts do live amongst us, and we don't know where or when they will strike. Stranger abductions are only 1% of kidnappings, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I vote 10 is too young. In this situation I'd walk the 3 blocks, or part of the way and watch until she's connected with her friends. I'm not sure if age is the key or awareness and size and ability to respond is more of an important factor here.

My DD is 8 and my DS is 10 - I walk with both of them. I work part time from home so there is just no reason why I shouldn't walk with them. I know they are safe and it's also special time with them to chat about their day.

I think this depends on a lot of issues. My son will be 10 next week. This is the first year all 3 of our kids are in 3 different schools. So he walks by himself to school, but we live across the street. My dtr is 13 and walks down the street to her bus stop, which is across the street from the police department. My step dtr is spec needs and we have her every other weekend but when we had her m-f, we drove her.

I don't know how the school dist is set up in CO, but I don't see why kids have to walk more than a mile to school. Isn't there a bus stop that would be closer?

If we were in any other situation than we are now, I would drive all the kids to school. I would not want them walking more than a block or 2 on their "own". However, there are a ton of kids and parents walking at the same time so they really are not by themselves. If they leave too early, they are on their own before the school rush is out and I don't agree with that. If they do have to walk to school, it should be around the same time that everyone else is walking too.

I would say not until the age of 13 and then you have the converstation on what to do if a car stops by her (run and scream).

You can never be too safe.

You can never be too aware and teach your kids about safety.

I didn't walk to school until high school & we lived w/i 5 mins walking distance. My mom taught me waht to do in the event of an emergency and sure enough that came in handy. A car pulled up next to me w/a man inside & he opened his car door telling me to get in. I ran and screamed.

You can never be too aware or cautious.

I used to walk about 1/2-1 mile to the bus stop with friends when I was 4th-6th grade. And that was in a German town. Nowdays, I would not do that. I just wouldn't allow my kids. I think even being able to stay home for 15-20 minutes until I get home (when the bus drops them off RIGHT at our front door) they should be 6th grade. There is just no need/reason for them to walk alone. Just my .02.

My daughter is 10 and I guess you can say I am over protective because even before this story came out my answer was NO she is not walking to school alone - to get to her school it's about a 15 minute walk through our neighborhood (probably a good 6 blocks or so) .. No freaking way. This is exactly why. :-( Honestly I don't know WHEN a good age is.

not @ age 10 maybe when they get to high school if they don't have their own car