How old do you think a child should be before allowing them to walk around the block alone?

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When I was a kid my cousins and I were able to go to the park by ourselves by the time we were 7, but times have changed and it seems like the world is becoming more dangerous. I don't know when I'll be comfortable with my child walking around, maybe around the 10 or 12...

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I don't like the walking around the block ALONE part. I don't recommend this really at any age. Even now I will take my large dogs with me. Walk around the block with your friends or a family member(s)? Yeah I can get behind that. Maybe like 10 or so if you are in a group. But I also plan to tell my kids about stranger danger like my mom did. She didn't just say oh don't talk to strangers. No she told us that if someone you don't know tries to grab you, you fight, bite, kick, scream. I have known from a young age that it's better to be hurt or killed on the spot then to be taken by someone who will do who knows what to you. Most people probably feel that it is a pretty heavy subject for young kids but it is an important one. For me I was more aware of my surroundings growing up and even more so as an adult.

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16 or 17, 15 if they're with a group of friends. sorry if I'm a hover parent 🤷🏽‍♀️

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depends. I live in small towns and plan on having a sibling close in age to my son. he also has lots of cousins. I'm not the parent that needs to be hovering. if it's on my block where I currently live or my sister in laws block I feel comfortable as young as 5-6 with their cousins or sibling. not alone though until older. still undecided because I take it case by case and wherever we live. never will live in a city thank god.

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16

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I dont trust anyone so my answer is never lol.

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I don't want to hear all this "when I was a kid..." crap. Nowadays you can't trust anyone!! I'm sorry, but I'm paranoid about my kids walking to the mailbox and I allow it only because of the rural environment I live in and if I walk to the end of my property (1 acre) I can see the mailbox. But if I lived in a city- hell no. My kids wouldn't go anywhere without me. Too many news stories about kids being taken from their front yard or at parks, even stores like Walmart, Target, Ikea, and malls. Six years ago a little girl was taken from her yard, 3 weeks later they found her little 4 year old body thrown over the fence from Mexico into El Paso- her insides were cleaned out and stuffed with drugs. At the time I lived 2 hours from where they found her body. And yes, her mother WAS WATCHING HER. Her mother immediately called the cops and reported that a man in a black truck took her daughter. If that can happen in your yard, what what if they're walking to the library and they don't come home!? It's a sick scary world and too many people have the "won't happen to me/my child" mindset. It happens too much to kids of all ages. Human trafficking is real and can happen to anyone. Black market adoptions isn't a joke. Kids have been taken from yards, stores, strollers even with the parent standing right there, turned slightly to pay for ice cream or a purchase at a store. Better safe than sorry.

How old do you think a child should be before allowing them to walk around the block alone?

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