What age were you allowed out by yourself?

same here. cant remember ever not being allowed out by myself or with siblings.
we'd disappear for hours. our mom used to appear on the hill behind our house and from a good distance we could see her so then we knew it was dinner/supper time.

I'd be starving but hate going in home especially a summer evening, you knew you were in for the night once meal was done. wash and telly and bed after that.
simple days:)

I was allowed out on my own at about 12, I started going to teenage discos.

Parents are far too protective of their kids these days, I see it in my younger cousins, theyre late teens and early 20's but theyre infantilized, very innocent and I dont know how theyre going to cope when they have to leave home.

freshpopcorn wrote: »

because of how dangerous Ireland is now.
I see some people being hysterical online about men in white vans/etc.

I thought statistically the world was safer? less violent crime etc?

These attempted child abductions, how bad are the adult abductors that they can't pick up a child and throw them in the back of a van? Personally I always take these stories with a pinch of salt.

on the flip side, with parents being so protective and keeping kids in does this statistically speaking make any child let roam face a bigger threat. Logic being, if your child is the only one out and about they will be the ones to face the dangers out there.

to answer your question, I could nearly always call into a neighbour unattended. 7/8 years of age, if part of that was to go down the shop we'd do that without hesitation. Caveat being the shop was on the same side of the road, no crossing necessary.

Lastly, I'm not a parent, so would I be cavalier with my child's safety? Most likely not. I'd like to think I'd be laid back and cool about it all, but realistically I don't think I would and would have a certain amount of over protectiveness going on.

EL_Loco wrote: »

I thought statistically the world was safer? less violent crime etc?

These attempted child abductions, how bad are the adult abductors that they can't pick up a child and throw them in the back of a van? Personally I always take these stories with a pinch of salt.

on the flip side, with parents being so protective and keeping kids in does this statistically speaking make any child let roam face a bigger threat. Logic being, if your child is the only one out and about they will be the ones to face the dangers out there.

to answer your question, I could nearly always call into a neighbour unattended. 7/8 years of age, if part of that was to go down the shop we'd do that without hesitation. Caveat being the shop was on the same side of the road, no crossing necessary.

Lastly, I'm not a parent, so would I be cavalier with my child's safety? Most likely not. I'd like to think I'd be laid back and cool about it all, but realistically I don't think I would and would have a certain amount of over protectiveness going on.

No, the ones kept at home are in more danger because relatives are the most likely to abuse kids, parents themselves being the prime candidate for abuse.

South Park did a great parody of this where the media made parents progressively more paranoid of strangers, then of community members, and then finally of the parents themselves, so they sent all the kids off into the wilderness.

Unfortunately I know of a case where a Grandfather who was well liked by all was raping the Grandchildren.

Now, if you were those parents and you mentioned that you asked a random person on the steet to mind the kids, you'd probably have your kids taken away, but say their Grandfather is watching and nobody would bat an eyelid.

I was put out the very first time I peed on the floor

Allowed? 12/13 (I had protective parents)

Actually went out? 9 or 10.

Hobosan wrote: »

No, the ones kept at home are in more danger because relatives are the most likely to abuse kids, parents themselves being the prime candidate for abuse.

Not something I'd factored into the premise, more it being at home you're safe, out "there" is the danger, and at what age you were allowed face the danger by yourself.

Small counter point, I don't think an abusive relation was ever deterred by "oh they're not here at the moment we let them out to play".

Slightly off topic, but reminded me of......

When I was 11 myself and around 25 other 11 year olds all decided to sneak out one summer's night at 2.30am and go up to a field near by where we had built forts with bails of hay. We all brought snacks and drinks and had a bit of a party in the fort.... until the Gardai showed up. I can just remember them looking at us in utter bemusement.

They were sound though and escorted the gang of us home by driving slowly behind us as we walked, each one of us sneaking back into our homes along the way. They never told out parents and none of them had noticed we were gone.

As for when I was allowed out by myself during the day, well I was walking to school alone at 8 but then I lived only a 100 yards from the school gates. At the same age I was allowed play football on the green around the corner. My Dad was more strict than my mother though overall.

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I grew up in the country so I needed a drive to school/town/etc. I first started meeting my friends in town when I was around 10/11.
The reason I ask this I saw an article about leaving you kid out alone and some people were saying they wouldn't leave there 14/16 year old out alone/walk to school when leaving nearby/etc because of how dangerous Ireland is now.
I see some people being hysterical online about men in white vans/etc.

What age were you out alone?

What age is acceptable now?(I'm talking about going to a local shop/school/etc)

went to the Hollyrood Hotel in Bundoran at 14 in 1994 - AFAIR there were very few over 18 there

OK just read full OP - I would have walked to school, went to shop etc from 6 or 7, small town in Fermanagh circa 1986

sugarman wrote: »

Probably 7-8 to the local shops and friends a few streets over.

Then probably 12-13 to town and that.

It's mad how much children are mollycoddled these days, I've cousins in their late teens now whove never walked home from school or taken public transportation anywhere!

It has completely changed. I lived a bit less than a mile from the village on a country road - probably started walking/cycling there and back from the age of 8/9. I use to thumb 5/6 miles every now and then when still in primary school.
I have neices in their mid-teens who would be rarely left at home for more than a few hours and who would certianly never walk/cycle/thumb on a public road.