Mary Bianco

>From: "kayb85" <sheran@...>

<<At what age would you feel comfortable letting a child in the car
alone?>>


Well for me it would depend on the child. I couldn't just say a certain age.
And to think about it, I never really had an opportunity where I needed to
think about it!! If my kids don't want to go, they stay home, if they want
to come, they get out of the car. Of course I do have the luxury of having a
16 year old to watch them if no one wants to go with me and my mom is also
in connected seperate living quarters. But I wouldn't leave any of my 3
youngest in a car now without my oldest.



<<Why wouldn't you feel comfortable leaving your kids 15 feet away?
What if the car was locked, the air conditioning or heat was on
(depending on the weather), and the children were instructed to not
unlock for anyone but you?>>


I wouldn't leave my younger ones in a car that was running, locked or not 15
feet away or not. I've seen and heard way too much to do that. If someone
wanted to get into a locked car, they could do it less than 5 seconds. If
the car is running, they'd be gone. Probable, no, possible, yes. If I border
on the paranoid side about this, I'm okay with that. I live just a couple of
miles from where Adam Walsh was taken. I remember that very vividly and Tara
was just a little one then. I remember having to explain that to her when
she heard about it. I'll be paranoid and it works for me.



<<Didn't John Holt advocate allowing children home alone, or out
walking to the library alone, at very young ages?
I know a lady who was reported for leaving her child in the car alone
while she made a quick run into the store. I think the oldest was
10. I think she was able to get rid of CYS after the first visit,
but it was still very stressful for her.
Sometimes you have to make decisions not based on what you think is
ok for your kids but based on what nosy people might or might not
report.>>


I don't know about the John Holt idea. And as far as making decisions based
on what other people think, I just don't do it.

Mary B


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