7 year old catch her own bus?

[Mustonen]

Wife and I both work. Quiet neighborhood in a very small town. The two houses across the street are owned by police officers who have young families. Cul de sac with a bus stop at the end, the bus goes by our house a minute or two before stopping directly in front of our house. Sometimes there is a line of kids, sometimes not. Nobody reliable who we know well enough that we could just send her over there.

We leave at 7:30. Older two kids who are going on 12 and 11 catch their bus at a few minutes after 7. The youngest's bus doesn't pick her up until 8:32. Last year,the then 10 year old and then 6 year old caught the late bus after we left for work. No problem. This year, the 7 year old is on her own. She's pretty reliable, but she's 7.

Before school care is not turning out to be a great alternative, but looks like it's the only alternative.

Crazy to let her catch her own bus? Are you thinking about turning me in to CPS just for thinking it?

[Banh Mi]

I was throwing busses when I was 7, nvm catching them

[babybear]

we'd prob get sent to child services but I did that stuff on my own at that age (since I was born to teenage parents) and all was ok. I think depends on kid?
I was a media distributor (aka paper delivery + collecting) at age 9 so I think with the older kid guidance this young bus delivery should be ok
My parents also put a sticker on the minute hand time I needed to leave (the 45 min hour at that time) that helped

[Alaskan Rover]

So the middle kid and eldest kid catch the middle school bus, and the youngest, the elementary bus. 2nd grade. The question isn't so much of her catching the bus...that's easy if it stops right in front of the house. So the real question is do you think she is mature enough and responsible enough to spend the hour home alone before the bus. Every kid is different. If you think she is mature enough, GREAT! Problem solved. If not, ask if there is a shuttle bus from the middle school to the elementary...if so, she can bus with her sibs.

[Mustonen]

Last year there was guidance from the then 10 year old. This year, she'd be on her own.

[Dexter Rutecki]

I walked to school by myself (or with my brother, usually--younger) when I was in 1st grade. It was only two blocks, but still, I figure if I did that in a relatively big city at 6 standing and waiting for a bus someplace like you describe shouldn't be a big deal. Then again, this is a different era (although I have tried my best to raise my kids as if it were 1980).

[Mustonen]

So the middle kid and eldest kid catch the middle school bus, and the youngest, the elementary bus. 2nd grade. The question isn't so much of her catching the bus...that's easy if it stops right in front of the house. So the real question is do you think she is mature enough and responsible enough to spend the hour home alone before the bus. Every kid is different. If you think she is mature enough, GREAT! Problem solved. If not, ask if there is a shuttle bus from the middle school to the elementary...if so, she can bus with her sibs.

Yeah - not worried about her spending an hour alone. She'll just play with her kindle or watch a cartoon. She's a good, mellow kid. She'd be all ready to go (clothes, shoes, coat, etc.) and we'd set an alarm for when it's time to wrap it up and run outside.

[FLS]

I have no doubt a seven year old could catch the bus on their own in this situation. The second something goes slightly sideways, it will be used against you. Your neck of the woods may be different, in mine, I have to deal with zero tolerance zombies.

[Alaskan Rover]

In mine, I have to deal with zero tolerance zombies.

The Zero Tolerance Nazis are basically ruining the world in small, "high meaning" ways.

I read about one Nazi/Zombie who called CPS on two good parents because their two preteen kids were playing outside on the own front yard but unsupervised. In their OWN yard. Wtf?

[old goat]

How would she handle it if the bus was late or didn't show? You know better than any of us. How does she feel about it? Any way to spy on her a couple of times, if only to ease your mind?

[lingcod]

Give it a shot, give her a chance. You'll be impressed, you'll be proud, and she'll be on cloud nine when she succeeds. Guide / coach her for a few days (maybe leave a phone for her at the house for communication for a few days) so everyone is comfortable. Communicate clearly your expectations of her (when she'll leave the house, what she'll do before she leaves), the consequences (i.e., having to do something like going in early or moving to a morning daycare, that would make her feel like a "little" kid, instead of a "big" kid). By the way, I have 2 grown, independent, successful daughters, so I'm not sitting in Mom's basement making this shit up. Kids will rise to meet your reasonable, loving expectations 99.9% of the time, as we all will. As far as some numbskull worrying about what you do with your kids, well fuck them. You're doing the right thing for your kid and your family. Plus, it'll give you all something to hoot about when they grow up and make their own lives.

[Shredhead]

If she has a cell phone in case of emergencies and neighbors that care, go for it.

[mtngirl79]

If you live in Illinois it's illegal to leave a child younger than 14 home alone.

[mooseknuckles]

...remind her to lock the house on the way out

+ turn off the lights, flush her shit down the toilet, put dishes in the dishwasher, put milk in the fridge, homework, lunch, hat, gloves, raincoat...

... If not, ask if there is a shuttle bus from the middle school to the elementary...if so, she can bus with her sibs

^ THIS


One of mine was a 2nd grader last year and I like to think she is responsible. No matter how hard I try to make these kids self sufficient, far too often tasks/things are forgotten. She is fine when I leave her for a small amounts of time but I think many things would be missed if she was watching the clock to get out the door to catch the bus to school solo. We live a 1/4mile from school and there is no way in hell I will let her walk to school solo with the way people drive around here. Fuck it, we had house keys and were able to lock the door and walk to the school bus when we were kids. On top of that the bus driver had no teeth and looked like a pederast.

[Mustonen]

We have an ip based "landline" exactly because we've had to leave the kids home alone more recently, especially over the summer. We figure we'll give her a call a few minutes before to check in.

My job is flexible....if I have to bail and run home or spy on her the first few days I can. I'm only 11 minutes away if traffic cooperates, which it should on the way home at that time in the morning. I just can't really move my normal start time an hour back (probably could find a way, but it would involve some other trade offs that would have a larger impact on family time).

She's ok with it. My 11 year old, who shepherded her to the bus last year, says she'll be fine, no problem, which oddly gives me more confidence than anything else, maybe irrationally.

[FLS]

You don't have to be a fear monger, just teach to be aware of their surroundings is all. Again, in my neck of the woods, there is a far greater chance of some busy body know what's best for everyone else A-hole causing trouble than some boogie man coming to get you.

I'm all for fostering independence.

[DBdude]

there is no way I would do this or my ex-wife would allow this. we would figure something else out. there are always alternatives. at our school I would talk to the admin to the principle and ask her advice. she knows everybody and runs the school. it shouldn't be to hard to find someone trust worthy where you can drop her off to get her on the bus.

if your job is that flexible - go in late

that is how we handled it. one spouse went to work early and the other went in late

[SkiBall]

I walked to school on my own since 2nd grade. I didn't; always go to the babysitters after school. Just kept on walking. It wasn't bad other than the time I had to make other than the time I had to evade a pedophile at the bowling alley in the 6th grade. And here I thought he was paying for my pinball games cuz he liked me. Well, I guess he did . Avoided some major mental scarring on that one...provided he wasn't planning on killing me.

[skiballs]

How's it hangin' ? Ball

[SkiBall]

A little to the right. Thanks for asking.

[KQ]

I wouldn't do it not because she wasn't responsible but because I'd worry about stranger-danger.

You say there aren't any other kids who catch the bus that she can buddy up with? As someone else suggested maybe the school can assist with finding a bus partner (that is if you're concerned/interested).

[digitaldeath]

Get a new job

[Cruiser]

7 is so marginal. One of mine would've been perfectly fine if left alone for an hour to catch the bus. A couple of the others, not so much because they're just not the kind of kids who would have been able to be reliable enough even if we prepared everything for them in advance. So yeah, if your kid is up to it then I'd say go for it. But if not, then don't push your luck and start seeking out alternative arrangements asap.

[pepperdawg]

I'd be wary....we still put on/wait for the bus w/our 9-10 yo/s - but we are uptight.

All it takes is one weirdo in a van and they are gone forever.

Also we both can pretend to work-from-home for the needful hours - which doesn't sound like an option for the OP.

Dunno....

[gravitylover]

Can you talk to the bus driver or supervisor to have the bus honk when it pulls up so she doesn't have to stand out there alone? My concern is bad guys watch for solo kids at bus stops and would realize after a few days that she's always alone making her a target. If the bus driver can watch her from door to door it's bound to be safer.