At What Age Should You Let Your Kids Roam?

Yeah I can remember going trick or treating with my brother and sister...i was about 6 and they are 2 and 4 years older and we walked all over town, and i remember going lots of places by my self when i was 6 or 7... But the world changed a lot since then....people just grab kids off the streets these days....kids dissapear every day.....and buses? I would never let my daughter ride a city bus alone....or the school bus for that matter....we have lived here (Raleigh,NC) for 7 years and three times it has been on the news that someone got raped on the school busses....not to mention all the fights that happen on them.....the unfortunate side effect to all of this is our teenagers today are not growing up because they have no chance to....but the alternative is way worse so.... I know boys here who are 17 and their parents dont let them date....to me thats a little too far overboard....but i can understand why.....every time you turn on the tv you see some mom whos kid is gone and usually they dissapear within seconds...like they watched them walk all the way down the block then the kid turns the corner and dissapears or they were just going across the street to play and they are gone....it is a very scary world out there for parents these days....

children get more matured these days, but as a parent, we must watch them. whether it is 8, 9 or 10 we must be carefully watching them everytime till they are capable of doing things by themselves...

I think around 13 years of age & I guess that would also depend on the mature level the child is on & of course only if it was a group of friends roaming together. I think kids that are young like 8 & even 11 shouldn't be out roaming around without an adult. I think that's lack of parenting skills if you do let this happen.

It depends on the child and the situation. I think you need to start letting them have some separation from you in public venues when they are about 9 or 10. When I was 10 and got my first power chair, I was allowed to wander around the mall within certain restrictions. I had to get a watch and report back to mom every so many minutes (usually 30). She had to promise to stay in the same store until she told me she was going to another one, and I was not allowed to be any more than four stores away from her in either direction unless I got special permission.

Things were a ot different when we were young. In my honest opinion..I don't think children should be allowed to roam at all. I let my girls walk to the store at the corner on the end of my street but that's it. I let them ride their bikes between designated areas on the street but it's within sight of the house. There is so much trouble now and so many more dangers. I may be overprotective but it's not a chance I'm willing to take.

I think,I will let my boy to roam when he is 10 years old.I love that he will be taft and like adventure.But,I will make sure that he is brave,have knowledge/smart,have enough prepare.Many parents are afraid or doubt their boy.But,If we believe that our boy is smart,so they will be ok.When I was studied in secondary school,I was joined in boy scout.I think,it's good activity for our kids,They can training to be stand alone.

I've seen far to many children roam, guess where they end up in trouble.. I have a 10 year old son whom I don't let go out by himself to places, this day in age they can be kidnapped or even hurt not to mention being in trouble with the law.. I understand children need freedom but yet they need an adult to take care of them and watch over them so things don't happen to them.. Once they turn a age for say 16-17 yeah giving them more space might be a good thing but yet at the same time you are responsible for them.. The last thing any parent wants is to see a child hurt or end up in gangs because the parent did pay much attention to them when growing up..

Not a parent, but have worked with children a lot and well be a teacher in ten months. I don't think it's ever good to let children roam and let them do whatever they want. They might fall in with a bad crowd or get hurt. I think around 12-14ish, depending on the child and your area, you can start letting them go to places alone or with their friends. You know, freedom to go to the mall or somewhere. I feel bad for your son's friend. He reminds me of this children I see when I commute on the bus. They're between 7-9 and they ride the bus from school to I hope home. All they do is act like animals. They also tend to spend their money too quickly because no one is montoring them.