Is Lincolnshire a Nanny State?
This story, about a father being threatened with action because his seven-year old daughter walk twenty metres to the bus stop to go to school is ridiculous.
At the age of six or seven in the early 1950s, I used to be taken to the bus stop at Oakwood by my mother to catch the 107 bus to Enfield for piano lessons with my Aunt Mabel. I had my couple of pence for the ticket and used to sit in one of the back three seats by the conductor. When I got to the stop just past Enfield Town station, I would get off and run down to my aunt’s. It should also be said that my aunt didn’t have a phone at the time. Were my family responsible or not? Perhaps, my illnesses are all down to letting me look after myself from an early age!
The Anonymous Widower 
My girls were allowed to walk to school at that age as long as they crossed the main road with a lollipop lady. Once when I was very poorly with a virus, older daughter, aged 8 dressed and gave breakfast to 3 year old sister and took her to playgroup – I had a serious migraine and was non compos mentis, hubbie left home very early to get to Hull or somewhere.
When they were just 17 and almost 13 they asked if they would be allowed to go on holiday themselves without us. Further questioning showed that they wanted to go to Eurodisney but knew we didnt want to go again, and said could they go if they flew there, stayed in a resort hotel and promised to not fall out. They went for three nights, we took them to the airport, the Disney bus took them from the airport to the hotel, they had a fabulous time – they had my credit card, in fact Lynne had been a signatory on it for some years by then. They went off the resort by train to a huge supermarket because they were horrified at the price of food on site – even though I was paying for the food!
People were horrified, but they were sensible and responsible, and they knew that by being treated as adults they were expected to behave like adults and not fall out. Which they didnt. And now they have lovely memories of a really nice time they had together.
Comment by Liz P | September 13, 2010 |
That sounds like the correct way to do it.
Comment by AnonW | September 13, 2010 |