What age were you allowed out by yourself?

Sleepy · 02-07-2019 02:11PM

I can remember walking home from school and calling to friends who lived in an estate the other side of a busy enough road from the age of 6 or so. Would have been cycling the 3 or 4 miles to school (and heading into town on my own after school) from around 11/12, heading to the beech for the day with mates would have been normal enough at 13 and the parents rules for going unaccompanied to pubs / clubs was a straightforward "once you've finished your Junior Cert and it's outside of term time" so around 16 or so.

I'm a little more careful where my own kids are concerned (primarily as we live on a peninsula with riptides) but the 10 year old would be calling around to her friends in nearby estates and the 13 year old would be allowed get the bus on his own to arranged meetups (i.e. the cinema or Game Stop or whatever) with his mates in our nearest large town (Swords) but wouldn't be let just head in to "hang around".

harr · 02-07-2019 02:12PM

As others have said I can’t really remember when I wasn’t allowed out. Lived in rural village setting so I was off down the fields or bog for hours on end. No watch or knowing what time it was but always arrived home for lunch and dinner.
Definitely went On bike out to my cousins which was 5 miles away from a young age.
I have nieces and nephews now who have no street smarts and are driven every where and wouldn’t even think of getting on a bike or god forbid walking.
16 year nephew only took train on his own for first time last week both he and his mother a bag of nerves.
I remember heading to Dublin on bus at 13 or 14 to do Xmas shopping on my own and lived to tell the tale. No mobiles back then to keep check on me and no mysterious white vans around.

fattymuatty · 02-07-2019 02:43PM

Always, I grew up on a small island with a population of about 60 at the time. There was no ferry service or anything so strangers weren't a thing there. We got into a few hairy situations with the tide at the shore and there was once my brother fell down a really deep drain full of brambles and couldn't get out but mostly we were grand.

My eldest is just gone 12 and he has been walking up town to meet friends for the past year or so. He and his younger sister walk to school by themselves. Quite a few kids walk/cycle by themselves so not everyone these days is a helicopter parent. We live in a smallish town in the West.

andekwarhola · 02-07-2019 06:23PM

Brought up in a working class part of the city, was allowed around the estate from early enough age. By the age of 9 or 10, I was allowed to wander off with friends to the nearby park, shops or their houses, I guess up to 1-2 km radius. My parents were strict about me coming home on time though and bought me a watch.

I live in a city suburb now and my eldest son is nearly 11 and I have to admit I went through the is usual modern paranoia about allowing him in the same freedom as I had but I've copped on now and forced myself to let him do the same as I've realized it's far worse to keep children from being streetwise and independent than worrying about some fictional increase in crime.

Told my wife once I was allowed to go camping overnight with friends when I was about 12 to a spot about 10 kilometres away on bus and she didn't believe me.

paleoperson · 02-07-2019 09:40PM

I'll say 9 or 10 as well. But there's a big difference between being allowed out in the countryside/with the neighbours as being able to go anywhere you want.

Feisar · 02-07-2019 10:09PM

I can't remember when, grew up in a estate outside Mullingar, there were loads of us kids out and about from an early age.

Was allowed walk into town on my own at 10, I remember walking in to buy a knock off Ireland jersey in Better Buys. It was £11 at the time. Felt very grown up!

What age were you allowed out by yourself?

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