Parents I hate Summer Gym schedules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gymisforeveryone]

In the States, many communities where gyms are located don't have public transit, and even where there is public transit the parent could get in serious trouble for allowing an 11-year-old to take public transit alone.

I'm happy that our public transit is good and safe. I would not put an 11 year in a bus after late evening practice that ends at 9 pm, but at 5 pm that would be totally fine. Many kids take public transit to school and back home from age 7. We don't have school buses in the urban area.

 

[MILgymFAM]

In the States, many communities where gyms are located don't have public transit, and even where there is public transit the parent could get in serious trouble for allowing an 11-year-old to take public transit alone.

Why would there be trouble for a kid taking the bus? What am I missing?

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Why would there be trouble for a kid taking the bus? What am I missing?

Maybe some states have minimum age for latchkey kids, which might extend to children 'traveling' alone? I don't really know, just guessing. Our state doesn't have min age to be left alone, but we don't have public transportation either. Most kids commute (i.e., driven by parent or caretaker) 20-40 mins, so longer, to practice.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Maybe some states have minimum age for latchkey kids, which might extend to children 'traveling' alone? I don't really know, just guessing. Our state doesn't have min age to be left alone, but we don't have public transportation either. Most kids commute (i.e., driven by parent or caretaker) 20-40 mins, so longer, to practice.

It’s overwhelmingly uncommon for kids to get themselves to practice everywhere we’ve lived. I would be all over it if it were feasible at all, but we have really crap public transit where we currently live. I’ve let my DD take the train/bus to gym previously a couple of times. It took too long to make it viable all the time, but I didn’t see the harm. I grew up in a major city where public transit is a way of life, starting in elementary school (at least that’s when I started taking the El alone). I think it’s a combo of gyms being in inconvenient places and American’s general overprotective nature.

 

[raenndrops]

It’s overwhelmingly uncommon for kids to get themselves to practice everywhere we’ve lived. I would be all over it if it were feasible at all, but we have really crap public transit where we currently live. I’ve let my DD take the train/bus to gym previously a couple of times. It took too long to make it viable all the time, but I didn’t see the harm. I grew up in a major city where public transit is a way of life, starting in elementary school (at least that’s when I started taking the El alone). I think it’s a combo of gyms being in inconvenient places and American’s general overprotective nature.

I agree about it being a combo. We have NO public transit in my small town and I have never seen a bus in the town the gym is in (other that the Senior Citizen's bus and school buses).
In the town where we do open gym, they DO have small public transit buses, but they don't even get within 2 miles of the gym and it would not be walkable because it is a State Highway in an industrial area ... so no sidewalks.

 

[mommyof1]

Why would there be trouble for a kid taking the bus? What am I missing?

In my state, you risk a call from CPS if you leave a child under 12 unattended. There is no statutory age limit, but it seems to be an unwritten rule. I once had trouble with some nosy bystanders when I sent my 11-year-old out to the car by herself while I waited at the door of the store. Two different couples discussed whether they should report it to store security. I would never risk putting her on public transit alone.

 

[MILgymFAM]

In my state, you risk a call from CPS if you leave a child under 12 unattended. There is no statutory age limit, but it seems to be an unwritten rule. I once had trouble with some nosy bystanders when I sent my 11-year-old out to the car by herself while I waited at the door of the store. Two different couples discussed whether they should report it to store security. I would never risk putting her on public transit alone.

I think it’s just my nature, but if I weren’t breaking the law I would do as I saw best and deal with CPS if they came. It’s quite ridiculous how people want to tell others how to parent over silly things, but so many abused kids have no one who helps them. I’m a total free ranger though. I’ve never once had cps called on me over it, and we’ve been giving our kids freedom of movement since they were young- they walked themselves to school starting at around 7.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

In my state, you risk a call from CPS if you leave a child under 12 unattended. There is no statutory age limit, but it seems to be an unwritten rule. I once had trouble with some nosy bystanders when I sent my 11-year-old out to the car by herself while I waited at the door of the store. Two different couples discussed whether they should report it to store security. I would never risk putting her on public transit alone.

My neighbor had the cops called on her by another neighbor when she left her kids in the car IN HER OWN DRIVEWAY, with the garage door open, she ran into to use the bathroom. We live about 3 blocks from the Police Station so when she came out, car was blocked by cops. The one who reported her is neighborhood nosey, so she probably was watching from her window and called 911 as soon as the mom walked away from the car.

I think it’s just my nature, but if I weren’t breaking the law I would do as I saw best and deal with CPS if they came. It’s quite ridiculous how people want to tell others how to parent over silly things, but so many abused kids have no one who helps them. I’m a total free ranger though. I’ve never once had cps called on me over it, and we’ve been giving our kids freedom of movement since they were young- they walked themselves to school starting at around 7.

It really depends on where you live, if there are sidewalks, if there's public transportation, etc. Here most kids walk to friends' homes, library, school around age 10. We do not have public transportation in/near town. Back in the stone ages, I grew up in NYC and was riding subway and buses by age 10.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

My neighbor had the cops called on her by another neighbor when she left her kids in the car IN HER OWN DRIVEWAY, with the garage door open, she ran into to use the bathroom. We live about 3 blocks from the Police Station so when she came out, car was blocked by cops. The one who reported her is neighborhood nosey, so she probably was watching from her window and called 911 as soon as the mom walked away from the car.

Woah, that's quite absurd. Many families have to leave their first and second graders home alone for 8-9 hours during summer for a month or so when they work. Some kids attend camps or playground activities during the day if they are lucky enough to live in an urban area, but kids who live in the countryside may not have that opportunity. The kids have cell phones and the parents prepare food for them and they do just fine, but of course it's not ideal. I would love it if there was mandatory daycare opportunity provided to all working families with 1st graders. Some cities provide daycare during the summer but many don't. Many kids have school from 8.30 am to 12.30 am during the school year also. First graders can attend afternoon clubs until their parents get off from work. More mature first graders just go home alone.

 

[Texasmomof3]

Can I just say I hate the new gym's summer schedule. My dd is in the afternoon optional group with practice from 3-8 every day. That worked fine for us, as she got out of school at 2 and the gym is 30 minutes from her school. But for summers, they have moved the afternoon optional group to practice from noon to 5. This messes up my dh's morning. (He works from home for himself.) it is also a nightmare to pick her up at 5. The gym is 32 miles from our house. At 8pm it is a 35-40 minute drive. At 5 pm, it is a 90 minutes drive. In ridiculous Dallas traffic. In the heat. Surrounded by a million of road rage-y people who just got off from their crappy jobs and don't want to be stuck on the road with you. Pick up this summer is literally giving my dh high blood pressure.

I wish they thought about commute time when they decided to end practice at 5 pm for everyone.

They also only gave us one week notice, which also sucked.

 

[rjb123]

I totally get how it is super hard for some working families. I have always had flexible hours and worked off shifts so we were able to make it work. I will say though I ADORE summer schedule!! DD does as well. She gets to have family dinner with us 7 nights a week, and this just doesn't happen during the school year. This has given us our precious family time back and makes the long school year with later hours more bearable. We treasure our summers as a family!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Woah, that's quite absurd. Many families have to leave their first and second graders home alone for 8-9 hours during summer for a month or so when they work. Some kids attend camps or playground activities during the day if they are lucky enough to live in an urban area, but kids who live in the countryside may not have that opportunity. The kids have cell phones and the parents prepare food for them and they do just fine, but of course it's not ideal. I would love it if there was mandatory daycare opportunity provided to all working families with 1st graders. Some cities provide daycare during the summer but many don't. Many kids have school from 8.30 am to 12.30 am during the school year also. First graders can attend afternoon clubs until their parents get off from work. More mature first graders just go home alone.

Not sure how "mature" a 6 year old can be, but I would totally not be comfortable leaving a 6-7 year old home alone all day, or to have them come home to an empty house to take care of themselves after school. JMHO, that is too young. And even without a minimum age for latchkey kids, I'm sure in an emergency situation, DYFS would totally get involved. I don't know anyone who would.

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

Not sure how "mature" a 6 year old can be, but I would totally not be comfortable leaving a 6-7 year old home alone all day, or to have them come home to an empty house to take care of themselves after school. JMHO, that is too young. And even without a minimum age for latchkey kids, I'm sure in an emergency situation, DYFS would totally get involved. I don't know anyone who would.

In Finland children start school between 7&9 years old, so a mature child would be potentially pushing 10 years old

 

[Aussie_coach]

Where I live, it is in fact illegal to leave any child under 12 alone and unsupervised for an unreasonable time. What is u reasonable is left up to interpretation. Parents have been charged for allowing their 11 year olds to walk to school on their own.

It makes it tricky because we don't have school buses, in high school kids will quite often take public buses or trains to school. And High school goes fro 7th-12th grade, so around 40% of kids start high school when they are 11 years old.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

In Finland children start school between 7&9 years old, so a mature child would be potentially pushing 10 years old

That is quite different from the US where most children start kindergarten at 5 and 1st grade at 6, but on the young end, a few may still be 4 when they start kindy. I agree that 10 could be considered 'mature' depending on the child, but being mature (i.e., knowing what to do in emergencies, being trusted to not open doors or let people know they are home alone, not to touch the stove, etc.) is also different from a child being mentally ready to be alone in a house and not being stressed or scared.

 

[Taxidriver]

I have a love hate thing with summer gym practice, I love the evenings just being family time and being able to eat as a family but I hate the headache it brings of logistics how to get her to and from gym.

 

[kimute]

We start 7 am practices Monday. My DD is dreading it. She is a night owl who needs 10-11 hours of sleep. I don't see her getting to bed early enough. Actually considering a few nights of melatonin...

 

[gymisforeveryone]

In Finland children start school between 7&9 years old, so a mature child would be potentially pushing 10 years old

Actually, school starts when kids are between 6&7 years old. Most kids are already 7 since school year starts in August.

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

Sorry, I thought it was later. Is there an option to delay start or am I just totally wrong!?

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Sorry, I thought it was later. Is there an option to delay start or am I just totally wrong!?

Well, it's possible but not very common. Usually it's only done if a child is born in November or December and is not as mature as the other kids born in the same calendar year.

But, the first grade is more like your kindergarten. The days are short (3-4 hours) and the kids learn through playing and exploring.