Stalking my Kid

I wouldn’t say that I’m one of those so called ‘helicopter’ parents that are constantly hovering over their children, protecting them from any real or imagined danger, showing up with them at their interviews, calling their kids’ bosses indignant that their baby has been reprimanded. 

Of course my kids aren’t at the job stage yet.  Oh.  True story – I actually got a call from a mother, calling on behalf of her son to see if there was a job here at the milk plant for him and what would it all entail – she wanted to vet it to see if it was even suitable for her son.  I asked somewhat incredulously, “why doesn’t your son phone to find out?”  I was met with some indignant response about him being very busy with school and other things…. 

Anyways, as our oldest is slowly becoming more and more independent and asking for more and more freedoms to move around our neighbourhood without parent supervision we are exploring exactly how comfortable we are with that idea and what our limits are.

We have just recently begun allowing her to walk to the corner store that’s two blocks away by herself.  She can go to either neighbourhood park with a friend (both are approximately one block away from our house – one north and one south) as long as she has a watch with her a very specific time where she will be home.  We have secret passwords and have reviewed stranger danger with her. 

One thing I’m still not comfortable with though is her walking home by herself or even with one friend her age.  We have allowed her to go to and from school a few times when we knew there was a large group going together with the oldest child in the group in grade 5.  Her school is about a 10 minute walk from our house. 

So I pick her up from school every day.  I go there straight after work and wait for her to come out.  Lately she’s been walking out with a little girl who lives a few houses down from us.  This little girl is the same age as Hope and walks home by herself everyday.  I have watched in alarm as she has darted across a busy street, not at an intersection.   I gave her a ride home a few times until she told me she wasn’t allowed to get a ride from me because her dad told her she “needed to get used to walking long distances by herself.”  Whhaaa???

Sometimes, Hope rides her scooter or her bike to school and if the weather is nice wants to scooter or ride her bike home.  Well, you know what that means, right?  Lol.. I gave her a very specific route to go home by – the one that utilizes the crossing guards – and then I shadow her in the car.  It must look very goofy, but yes, I stalk my daughter home.  And truly it might look (be) a little strange but I’m just not OK yet with that step and she’s OK with that set up, too.  And then I know she’s gets home safely!   But I do laugh to myself everytime it happens.  Like yesterday.  :o) 

She wants to know when she’ll be able to go to and from school by herself.  Maybe when she’s attending the new school and it’s only a 3 minute walk from our house.