how much freedom do you give your Secondary school aged kids?

[edbloke]

I?d appreciate some personal experience from parents please who have teenage kids, especially girls, to understand how much responsibility you gave them, at what age, to be free to meet up with friends and wander around East Dulwich, and beyond.

Specifically daytime activities here but evening requests will no doubt come soon too, so would really like some hindsight from others who have been there first.

[Monkey]

Tough one! Daughter is in year 8 but youngest in class so just turned 12. Not travelling to school on her own and has just started on a couple of occasions to meet friends in the park for short periods of time. She?s not asking for more and we?re not offering!

[oimissus]

My daughter is year 7 and has been going to school by herself since Year 6 (15 min walk then, 8 min train journey plus short walks either side now). She?s been meeting friends in a local park and they go to a nearby corner shop for chocolate and ice cream also since year 6. She has a phone and is very good at keeping in touch with us. She?s nearly 12.

[lorraineliyanage]

My daughter (Y8, just turned 13) cycles from top end of Lordship to Harris Girls (under 10 mins) and occasionally meets friends after school for a little bit before coming home. Always arranges that in advance and is in touch by phone. This weekend she is doing her first evening excursion trick or treating with a friend, she'll take the bus and then get dropped off by their parents on the way back. I generally feel safer with her on the bike than on the bus on her own. I do find that with the disrupted start to Year 7 during lockdown that the friendship groups don't seem that close-knit and they aren't meeting up as much as I used to with my friends at that age. There is a LOT of WhatsApp chat though!

[lorraineliyanage]

My daughter (Y8, just turned 13) cycles from top end of Lordship to Harris Girls (under 10 mins) and occasionally meets friends after school for a little bit before coming home. Always arranges that in advance and is in touch by phone. This weekend she is doing her first evening excursion trick or treating with a friend, she'll take the bus and then get dropped off by their parents on the way back. I generally feel safer with her on the bike than on the bus on her own. I do find that with the disrupted start to Year 7 during lockdown that the friendship groups don't seem that close-knit and they aren't meeting up as much as I used to with my friends at that age. There is a LOT of WhatsApp chat though!

[scareyt]

My year 7 son age 11 has just started meeting up with friends on their own in local parks on weekend afternoons. My main worry is they will injure themselves while jumping off/over things so I?m signing him up for a first aid course for teenagers. He cycles to school which I find a lot scarier.

He met up with friends in our very closest park from year 6 but there would usually be at least one parent there at the beginning and/or end in year 6. The all setting off alone and coming back alone is new for us.

[Dodo1]

My son is in his 4th year at Cardinal Vaughan and has been travelling on his own to Holland Park since he started