"As the father of kids who are right about those ages, I can concur that it's probably not a great idea for my kids to go down to the dock unsupervised even though they can swim and won't jump in or get pulled in by some giant man-eating horseshoe crab. If it were my kids, I would never leave them alone for more than five minutes."
"As for your niece and nephew, they are blood-related and your precious little angels, but they are still NOT your kids. Unless there is some continuous near-tragedy that occurs where they keep wandering off with their fishing poles, falling into the icy lake, then getting pulled ashore by the Coast Guard, you have limited recourse."
A concerned aunt worries about her 7-year-old nephew and 5-year-old niece fishing unsupervised on a dock at their lakeside home. The dock is located down stairs and out of sight from the house. When the aunt expressed safety concerns to her brother and sister-in-law, they dismissed her worries, stating the children won't jump in and can swim. The advice columnist agrees that unsupervised dock time is risky for children this age, even with swimming ability, as accidents can happen unexpectedly. However, the columnist notes the aunt has limited recourse since these are not her children, and parenting decisions ultimately rest with the parents.
Read at Slate Magazine
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