Here.
Actually I applaud the idea that they are gradually letting the children have more freedom and that we wrap children in cotton wool too much nowadays......but at eight and five? This is really shocking.
My understanding is that there is no age specified in law as to when children can be left unattended, it is left to parental judgement and I think this is unhelpful as many parents would welcome guidance
The shocking bit here is "London" and the ages of the children. An 8 year old certainly shouldn't be in charge of the five year old.
The part that matters is they cycle on the pavement and there's a lollypop lady.
If there's a nanny, you could argue that the parents would have considered the risks?
My youngest has been walking home since he was 9 - which is when there was a lollypop person finally employed for them to cross the main road. His primary school expects them to be more independant from Year 2 and definitely from Year 3.
I do take him to school as there is no one crossing them to the school site itself, where parents are so focused on chucking children out of the car, stopping on yellow zig-zags and randomly letting children out of cars into the road rather onto the pavement, that they wouldn't notice if a child crossed in front of them.
If this was the 8 year old cycling to school, with no 5 year old involved, would this be more acceptable?
Interesting.....I would have loved to have felt confident enough for my daughter to go to school on her own when she was younger. Every day into work I see a young boy walking on his own to school. At first I was shocked but then questioned myself, if all our children were doing this, it wouldn't be unacceptable or shocking.
If these children are on pavements and then crossing the road with a responsible adult (lollipop lady) then where is the harm?
I presume the parents have enough faith in society to believe that if anything did go wrong, a member of the public would step in and help.
Although it sounds nerve wracking, I think we should all applaud them and maybe take a leaf out of their books.
SOOO bubblegum, you post this article, have you nothing to say on the matter?? Your children are close to those ages, would you let them ride to school together without any adult supervision?
No way on earth would I let my 7 year old ride or walk to school. I've only just allowed him to ride round outside across the road on the green, and then I'm standing at my gate watching him!! I spoke to some of the Mums at the school about this, and they were as horrified as me. I thought maybe I was too overprotective, but after listening to some this morning, I know I'm not.
Oh my goodness, this is outrageous. What are the parents thinking? An 8 year old with responsibility for a 5 year old. So many awful things happen to children. Makes you wonder what else goes on. Does the 8 year old perhaps babysit for the younger one at home?