How Old Is Old Enough?
b'Every parent has a \\u201chow old is old enough to\\u201d question about her kids that keeps her biting her fingernails. And as soon as one of those questions is resolved, a new one crops up. This seems to us a parenting challenge that gets harder, not easier, as our kids get older.\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0So we asked our listeners: what\\u2019s the \\u201chow old is old enough to\\u2026\\u201d question you\\u2019re currently struggling with at your house?\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0In this episode we discuss (and attempt to decide for the rest of eternity) how old is old enough to:\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0walk to school\\n\\xa0go home alone from school\\n\\xa0babysit younger siblings\\n\\xa0ride bikes around neighborhood\\n\\xa0get a phone (here we both advise what our friend Ann calls the \\u201cStarTac 3000 approach\\u201d)\\n\\xa0go on a date\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0and more.\\n\\xa0Our listener Donna says the answer to all of these questions is probably 12, what she views as the \\u201cgolden age of responsibility.\\u201d But she then adds the caveat that her kids are 6 and 7, so that\\u2019s a bit hypothetical on her part. Donna, we\\u2019re here to tell you: all 12-year-olds are not created equal.\\n\\xa0And our Country Mouse and City Mouse lifestyles dictate different answers to these questions, as well. Margaret\\u2019s kids walk home from school alone before they\\u2019ve lost all their baby teeth; Amy\\u2019s kids have to go through puberty first.\\n\\xa0In the end, of course the answer to any of these questions is \\u201cit depends,\\u201d and there are no right answers for all kids\\u2013 only *your* kid. But in this episode, we lay out the factors that should and shouldn\\u2019t be part of your calculations (what definitely needs to be left out: what judgy moms will think of you).\\n\\xa0Some reading on the topic:\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0Marion Franck: What You Need to Know About 6-Foot Trick-or-Treaters\\nLenore Skenazy\\u2019s freerangekids.com\\nExercise From the Dark Side, Margaret\\u2019s son\\u2019s YouTube genius-ness\\nthis New York Times article, which argues that when it comes to smartphones, later is better.\\n\\nThis episode is brought to you by SmartyPants Vitamins!\\nDo you love good ingredients, great taste and good works all-in-one?\\nDo you loathe vitamin-y aftertastes and fish burps?\\nThen SmartyPants is the multivitamin for you! They\\u2019re packed with multivitamins plus omega-3 fish oils, and stuff like extra vitamin D for the kids, and folic acid for moms.\\nBest of all, for every bottle sold SmartyPants makes a 1-for-1 nutrient grant to Vitamin Angels, helping expectant mothers and children in impoverished communities in fifty countries get the life-changing nutrients they need.\\nGo to smartypantsvitamins.com and use the code SUMMER25 to get 25% off a bottle of Kids Complete Cherry Berry! Code valid through 7/31/17.\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\n\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'