Freedom or safety: When should parents let children go out alone?

"Drawing the line between danger and empowerment is a balancing act many parents struggle with A few weeks ago, I allowed my almost six and eight-year-old sons to walk home from the local supermarket alone. The idea seemed perfectly plausible at the time. It was a distance of about 700 metres as the crow flies and involved no crossing of roads."

"A few weeks ago, I allowed my almost six and eight-year-old sons to walk home from the local supermarket alone. The idea seemed perfectly plausible at the time. It was a distance of about 700 metres as the crow flies and involved no crossing of roads. We'd made the journey in reverse, going from the house to the supermarket plenty of times together, so they were familiar with it."

A parent allowed almost six- and eight-year-old sons to walk home alone from a nearby supermarket. The route measured roughly 700 metres as the crow flies and required no road crossings. The children had previously made the same route in the other direction many times and were familiar with the path. The decision reflects a tension between protecting children from danger and empowering them with independence. Factors relevant to the choice include distance, traffic exposure, route familiarity, prior practice, and parental judgment about age-appropriate responsibility and community safety.

Read at Independent