Interfering?

I was allowed to go out by train and bus with friends at this age, people are far too protective driving children everywhere.

Pollution from cars is more dangerous than anything else likely to be a danger to him.

Natural you should worry but unwise to speak. He'll want to be given some level of independence and you should respect that your daughter has made a considered decision.

it is very hard I think when the tables are turned. When I think what I did as a teenager, and how horrified I would be had my own daughter done the same (which she probably did without telling me). There is a rise in childhood obesity in the UK, and more and more children spend hours sitting in front of screens. If he has been taught the Highway Code (which I am sure he has) he will be fine, gain a sense of independence, get to know the neighbourhood and get some exercise. Cutting the umbilical cord is very difficult, even with one generation remove. Breathe deeply and accept! best wishes

I wouldn’t be happy. Far too young. I would say something. Different times to when we grew up.

Give him the confidence to do this. He may have some busy roads but are there crossings either lollipop people or lights? I am sure they have talked about this and done some dummy runs too with mum walking at a distance behind. There will probably be other children doing exactly the same some with parents and some on their own or tagging onto a group that maybe does have a parent. Not that it becomes that parents responsibility but we’ve all done the walk to school with tag ons! At 9 (yr5) my DD had a key and walked back from school. DS then 13 would usually be there just before she got there if the bus was on time and I would be there 20 mins later. As a single parent it was the best I could do at the time. I had brilliant neighbours who also kept an eye too.

Maybe his parents are just trying to make your grandson “streetwise” before he starts secondary school. It is important, whilst growing up, that children feel a sense of responsibility for themselves, getting to school on time and being aware of their surroundings and traffic volume.
Always scary letting go, but at least your son and daughter in law are doing their best to raise an independent young man that will gain confidence as he grows, a job well done.
Sending my best wishes.

My son started walking to school when he was 8 with a school friend but that was in the 1990s . I taught him the best I could about crossing the 4 roads on his way to school. That's the best you can do really. There were no mobile phones in 1990s either which was probably a good thing actually.

I would love to see a 9 year old walk even 200 yards to catch the school bus where I live. Very small estate, one way in and out. School bus comes in pucks up majority of kids, then moves about 200 yards to pick up two other kids, then 100 yards for another two. Expect them to all meet at one place, goodness its like asking them to stop breathing. All the houses are in cul- d -sacs on the one side of the road. This happens for secondary aged as well. Your GS must feel confident to undertake his journey, your DD too. Let him grow far too many are now smothered and given no responsibility. I do wonder why children are supposed to be better educated, more worldly than the older generation ever were yet they are treated as being immature. One thing they do all seem to be very aware of is their "Rights".

My dds are doing same with there 10 year olds preparing them for secondary school next year, however there walk is only 5 minutes and not over busy roads.

Of course It’s your business, he’s your grandson and you love him !

Any roads where lots of children cross will have a traffic warden or even traffic lights.

As you said, you don't know what other arrangements parents have talked about.

He may well be walking with his friends.

Try not to worry.

Why not just bring it up in a conversation ...and hopefully you’ll feel better when you know more,

You will have to keep it zipped. I would feel the same way as you if I found myself in those circumstances. As you have a tense relationship with your daughter-in-law I wouldn't run the risk of making it non-existent by interfering.

I'm probably going against the general consensus here and I know it's his parent's decision but I wouldn't like my GS walking a 25 minute journey to school. There's so many weirdos out there these days and I would be worried sick, especially if you live in a quiet rural area. It wouldn't be so bad if there was a school bus or public transport nearby where there would be other children around.

I would suggest talking with your DIL just to air your worries, without criticising her decision. It s normal to be concerned. Most of us would feel the same

It depends what you think will be the outcome of your talk. She may reassure you that no of course he doesn't walk to school alone, or she may say "yeah the little b* I hope someone abducts him" in which case you'll call the social services. Whichever you choose there will be a varying degree of deterioration in your relationship, either in the good scenario that you didn't trust her or the bad scenario that you dobbed her in. And shades in between.

mealybug there are any more weirdos we just hear about them more.If you make your children into wee scared people they will always be "victims" You have to let them go when THEY are ready not when you are.

How times have changed. Age five my mother took me to school for the first week. Only two minor roads to cross. When we moved when I was eleven I had a mile walk to the train station and a mile walk the other end. In the winter it was dark before I got home.

How does GS feel about it? I know it was different days, but I used to walk into town from about 7 years old, I was scared, but got used to it.

I started school at 5 and the trip to school involved a short walk across the park. Then the school moved to the other side of town, involving two buses. In those days my parents didn't have a car - not many people did, and an older girl who went to the same school was asked to take me with her. However, she proved to be completely useless and kept leaving me behind. So I just got on with it! Before I was six, I was catching the buses by myself with a change in the town centre and doing it twice a day, because I went home for lunch, having absolutely rejected school dinners! (I had 20 minutes in the house, before I had to go back to school!)
I survived!
Of course , times were a bit different then, but I still feel amazed that I was allowed to do it!
Incidentally, one day, when I was about 8 or 9, we had a new teacher, who kept the class behind at lunch time to finish some work. I told her several times that I had to leave to catch my bus or I wouldn't have time to get home, but she ignored me, so I nipped out of the window (ground-floor, low windows!) and ran to catch my bus. By the time I got home I was so upset and in floods of tears that my parents kept me home for the afternoon and rang the school. I was terrified to go to school the next day, but the headmistress was obviously sympathetic with the circumstances and just told me never to do it again

I think children are mollycoddled to much these days and taken everywhere. Its interesting that there was a programme on the TV about children 8 and under who were taken to London and given instructions how to get to a certain point on their own. Its was a few miles away and involved catching buses and crossing busy roads. The two children who did the best were a brother and sister who lived on a farm up North somewhere and lived a very free life but had never been to a large town or city.

I think best to leave it to his parents. I know how you feel. I was in similar situation with my DG who lives in Tokyo. Children at an extremely early age of around 6 travel to school on the Yaminoti train (circular that loops around Tokyo) I’ve seen them so when my DGs did same albeit at age 9, I was concerned too. He was fine. Although it’s relatively safe over there. As someone has already said it’s up to his parents to make that decision. Try not to worry

When my children were young, they wouldn't let us take them once they went into Junior School, even though we were walking their siblings to school, they had to go on their own, so it set them up for when they went to secondary school.

I would assume that the parents have done their own risk assessment, and have a safety plan in place, plus will have done several trial runs at different times of day, with different traffic conditions, and therefore the child will be as safe as they can plan for.

That said, it all depends in the child, doesn't it. If he's not happy about it, then an alternative needs to be found. But if he's ok with it, then I think it'll be fine.

I had similar calls at work recently, about this very thing, from the parents, and also from the school. The school said that their policy is that no Year 5 child can walk to/from school until Easter, so that may be something to check.

But from a grandparent's stance, it's not something I think you should comment on.

(Personally I would hate the idea of my 9 year old granddaughter walking to/from school on her own - or even with friends)

My grandson’s school sent a message home at the end of last term to say that year 5s are allowed to walk to school on their own.
My daughter was very worried about this but one upside of the pandemic is that parents are asked to ensure that their children are socially distanced as they go into school. Problem solved.