In Greece I see many (not as many as I see in Japanese movies) elementary school kids (6-12) walking on their own to their school. I myself almost always got drived to school (my parents never walked me to school). I only regularly walked myself to school in highschool (I was 14 because I was born in December). I am interested and curious about parental choices (maybe my parents could have done better, I am close to parenting age, seeing young children on the road leaves me wondering).
What should you do with your kids when the distance to school is less than a mile or two? Assume a relatively safe area when it comes to crimes, a slight uphill slope ~100 metres, and some navigation problems and risks of traffic accidents. How does this choice change as they grow older (probably they gain navigation skills, independence, can better manage their wake-sleep cycles)?
The options I see are three:
- Walk them there
- Send them off on their own
- Drive them to school
Walking has the benefit of freedom of motion. (Driving a mile or two with heavy traffic is not the best thing and is unpredictable; half an hour on foot is usually half an hour while a 5-minute drive can become 15-20.) If they walk on their own they gain independence and might socialize on their way there. (It also saves you time to leave for work in the morning but the main focus is parenting.) If their parents walk them there that is safer (especially at younger ages with traffic accidents) and that is some quality time spent with the kids.
Driving can save some minutes of (their) sleep especially in the morning (unless there is a lot of traffic or you can't find a place to park).