At what age/grade would you drop off your child and a friend at a roller skating rink?? This is a small town skating rink and not too crowded. The child does have a cell phone and you would be at a store within 10 to 15 minutes tops away. You also have a cell phone.

By Happynerdmom on Saturday, November 26, 2005 - 07:41 pm:

For me it would depend on their maturity level, but probably 4th or 5th grade. (My dd, 4th grade. My ds, more like 6th!)

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, November 26, 2005 - 08:00 pm:

Good question. I agree with Happynerdmom that it depends on each individual child. My oldest is in Gr. 4 - nope, not yet. LOL!

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 01:15 am:

4th or 5th grade sounds about right.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 06:47 am:

And I think it depends on the reliability / maturity of the friend, and whether they have both had the discussions about strangers. You know whether your child is trusting or wary of strangers in familiar settings.

It is so difficult to walk that line between teaching your child to be careful and making your child fearful of everyone. I just don't know how parents today manage it.

By Karen~moderator on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 08:18 am:

Ditto Michele and Ginny. I was considered fairly lenient with my kids and they were always very responsible when they were younger, however, the first time I dropped one them off anywhere that no parents were going to be staying - and it was to a movie, because I remember the worry all too well - Jeff was in 6th grade.

By Kaye on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 11:37 am:

I think I would drop my 6th grader off, but not my 4th grader.

By Debbie on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 01:21 pm:

My oldest is only in 2nd grade, so I haven't thought about it yet. But, I agree with what everyone said above, it would depend on maturity. I want to say that I was in 6th grade before my Mom let me go anywhere without an adult.

By Vicki on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 02:33 pm:

Ok, it must be just me that is the worry wart then. LOL My dd is in 5th grade (will be 11 in December) and she and a friend wanted dropped off at the roller skating rink yesterday. I just couldn't do it. I will add that both are very responsible and educated as far as strangers and all fo that go. I was more worried about one of them getting hurt than getting taken or anything like that. I still took them skating, but I sat in the snack area and drank coffee. LOL I told them to just pretend that I wasn't there and go about their business. Funny thing is, they kept coming over to me and chatting etc. LOL *sigh* guess it IS time to start letting go a little.

By Ginny~moderator on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 04:30 pm:

I don't know that I would start letting go at 11 (my sons will tell you I am an overanxious mother). If your dd doesn't mind, which she clearly doesn't, then you don't have to let go until she starts asking. Then you can be the generous mom and grant her the privilege of going alone provided she has shown she can behave responsibly.

By Tink on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 05:33 pm:

I have to admit to being surprised by the age most of the moms here said. My dd is 8 and I was thinking that I'd probably wait until she was in 7th grade. I asked my dh to see what his view was and he thought our oldest would be ok with being dropped off somewhere in a year or year and a half. I must be more overprotective than I've realized.

By Annie2 on Sunday, November 27, 2005 - 06:27 pm:

I have just started dropping my 14 year old and friends at the movies and leaving the premises. All girls have cell phones.
I have let them go see a different movie than me, but I like to be there. Skating rink, too. I sit in the snack area, unless it's a birthday party for a friend.
I trust my kids and friends but there are so many weirdos out there just preying on kids.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 07:34 am:

In the past, our skating rink has had day-long events on days off from school. I assumed people dropped their kids off and it was sort of like doing that instead of a babysitter. They served pizza for lunch. My kids never wanted to do that, so maybe I was wrong, but we would get these slips, describing it. I can't imagine a parent dropping their kid and staying for 8 hours. I know I wouldn't want to stay that long! LOL! This would have been advertised to grade-school aged kids. I guess that is what I was thinking of, when I said I would drop off a 4th or 5th grader at the rink, by themselves.

Otherwise, I usually dropped them off, but some adult would be there. It's hard to remember now, since that already was a long time ago.

By Kernkate on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 09:45 am:

My DS is it 5th grade this year and we do let him to to the skating rink.
We are also from a small town DS always has about 3 -4 friends with him so I myself feel safe about it.
Once they go into the rink they are not able to leave until skating is over unless a parent goes into pick them up.
I guess its a personal decision depending how you feel.

By Breann on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 12:37 pm:

I have a hard time leaving my DD at gymnastics and dance. I'm always afraid she'll get hurt and I won't be there to help. All of the coaches are there, obvioulsy, but still, they're not mommy

I'm overprotective. But, that's ok

By Imamommyx4 on Monday, November 28, 2005 - 12:49 pm:

My oldest ds was in the 6th grade when I let them go it alone at the skating rink. But ours is very supervised. There is an off duty police officer as security. Parents take their kids in and have to go in after them. We always had our cell phone with us or were at home. The oldest did get hurt one time. He sprained his wrist. But we were there in less than 10 minutes. I worried a little less about the boys because the 3 of them were always together.

Now dd is another story. It's just her. And at 4 it is hard to imagine when I will ever let her go it alone with friends even though she is probably more mature now than when her brothers were in the 6th grade. LOL! I love going places with her. Just don't know.

By Eve on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 08:47 am:

It depends on what the activity is and who she would be with, but I'd probably say 6th grade. Not for all night, but to be dropped off at a movie or something, I think would be ok. Ask me in a few years, I may change my mind!! LOL

By Mommybug77 on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 10:25 am:

I live in Chicago so Never LOL. It would really depend. I would say jr high so 7th or 8th grade. I wonder what Dh would say though?!

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 04:33 pm:

My 16 started going to movies alone, with friends, about 2 years ago, when she was a freshman in high school. I live in a community of 51,000, so that does influence my decisions, too. I probably would be more protective if we lived in Milwaukee.

By Melanie on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 10:13 pm:

Oldest ds is now in 4th grade. I have never left him alone at the roller rink, but I could see leaving him at this age. It hasn't been an issue because our oldest two are only 1.5 years aprart, so where one goes, so goes the other typically. I would not leave younger ds at a roller rink or anywhere else. I don't see it happening when he is the same age as older ds, either. They are just so different. The older one really tries to be responsible, and the younger one, well, as we say, he's just a Griffin. LOL. You would understand that if you met him. ;) I think part of my comfort level from the roller rink, however, comes from the fact that both boys play roller hockey, so we are there every week so we know the owner and all the workers.

I agree with those who say it depends on the individual child. Every child and community is so different that it's hard to give a definite answer to this one.