S/O - Age for activities without parents

[velochic]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread.

At what age do you let your kids go somewhere with others (zoo, for example) without knowing the parents really well? Say, the parent is going to come pick up your kid, take them to the zoo, then return them home and it will last only a few hours. Your kids go to school together, so there are some common bonds there, but you don't talk regularly with the parents or know the details of their lives.

I suppose I wonder about in-home playdates, too. In the house, I would assume you'd want to know the family a little better. However, at a given age, kids make their own friends and there is no way to know all the families well.

Just opening the discussion to hopefully get some feedback.

[Alyantavid]

We don't, at least at this point, unless we know the parents really well. My oldest is 8 and has only done a few sleepovers and we're all fine with that. If it's just a parent I know casually, I don't usually let him unless I make it into a groupish thing, like I tag along with my younger son too.

[mommy2maya]

Kindergartenish, tho Ciara is not in kindy til next year and has gone on outings with friends.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by mommy2maya

Kindergartenish, tho Ciara is not in kindy til next year and has gone on outings with friends.

Yeah, I kind of put outings in a different category than playdates. That's why I didn't want to hijack the other thread. Spending a lot of time at a child's home vs. going on outings. I let dd go on outings with others long before I let her go to a person's home for a playdate (unaccompanied by me, I mean).