A 6th grader makes the case for traveling alone

About the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a 6th grader is to be taken home from school by a parent or a babysitter. In my opinion, 6th graders should have independence to go around New York City alone. It seems like a big deal to parents, but it really isn’t.

At my middle school, you see few parents at drop-off or pick-up. I see about 10 every day. Some of the kids don’t seem to care, but the others look around as if they don’t know their parents. Parents should take this as a clue: your kids don’t want you around, and they don’t want a babysitter around, either.

Parents don’t understand that by age 11 or 12, most kids know how to get around – at least in the neighborhood where their school is located. At some middle schools, kids can even go out to lunch and become more familiar with the area around the school.

Kids also know how to get to school by subway or bus, and what to do if they get off on the wrong stop or go the wrong way. Kids know that if you get off on the wrong stop, which you mostly likely won’t because you are paying attention, you cross the platform and go back down or up one stop to where you are supposed to be.

Kids know that if you are stuck in the subway tunnel because of a sick passenger or something else, you can’t do anything about it. You just have to wait and maybe get some unfinished homework done. Kids know to walk away or get other people’s attention if someone creepy comes up to you. Kids know that if you get lost on the subway, you can always look on the map on the wall of the train.

Parents seem to prefer buses, even though they take longer, because kids can use their cell phones on them. It’s true that on buses, if you get lost or miss your stop, you can always ask the bus driver where you are. But lots of kids don’t even have cell phones or go to schools that won’t let them bring their phones.

Parents also seem to be freaked out about their kids crossing busy streets. They tell us, “Wait at the light,’’ and we usually do. But I’ve also seen parents cross at times when they probably shouldn’t. Kids can handle crossing the street, and so parents shouldn’t worry too much about the streets, subways or buses.

Parents worry about their little kids with big backpacks walking around this giant city alone. But we will be safe if we are allowed to walk only certain routes or to roam free in neighborhoods we already know, where there are places for kids hang out – like a store or a park near their school. These places are usually safe, and there is always someone who can help you if you don’t have a cell phone or are lost.

Parents – we know what we’re doing. We’re city kids after all. So think about it and let your kids roam a little more freely for a while. If they do something wrong, they’ll learn from their mistakes.

Damon I. Smith, 6th grader, Clinton School for Writers and Artists, April 17, 2007

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