Earlier today, Michelle Horne, a mother of three, appeared on This Morning to talk about the school run.
This comes after a survey found that one in five Netmums users let their children walk to school unaccompanied, with 15% of those who do under six years old.
Michelle received backlash after revealing that her five-year-old son makes the trip to school on his own.
“I live on the edge of suburbia and it feels a very safe environment. It’s a short walk to school,” she explained.
Asked by host Holly Willoughby if she ever considered the dangers that may arise in regards to young children on their own, Michelle replied: “I don’t believe in parenting under ‘what if’ circumstances.
"You’ve got to give your children the responsibility at an age appropriate time to be able to make those good decisions.”
But Michelle explained she does take some precautions to ensure her kids aren’t dangerously distracted, such as making sure they don’t have a football in hand: “You have to start slowly and you build up responsibility with your children,” she explained.
“It’s like a right of passage.”
But some viewers disagreed, with a user on Twitter branding the mother-of-three “lazy” and “not a good parent.”
What do you think?
At what age would you let your kids walk to school alone?
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