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[quote=Anonymous]This is very much dependent on where you live. We live in the city (a dense part of downtown, not upper NW) and there are just some things that I won't let my kids do until a certain age. My 9yo DD is not allowed to ride her bike around by herself, and she isn't allowed to go by herself to the nearby park. But I'll let her get things at the grocery store a few aisles away, and smaller things like that. My 12yo DS rides the metro to school on his own and has a bit more freedom around the neighborhood now that he's older.

Every summer we visit my in-laws and extended family, several of whom have vacation homes on the same quiet street. My kids get a lot of freedom on those visits. They can roam around with cousins, ride their bikes around, and generally choose what activities to do. They must always ask before swimming or going on a boat, however.

We started sending our kids to sleepaway camp last year and they love it.

We've also encouraged them from a young age to speak up for themselves, interact with those around them in public and be independent even when we are together. They order for themselves at restaurants and ask when they need the server to bring something. If I have a question at a store, I'll often encourage them to ask the salesperson instead of me doing it. When we are walking around the neighborhood, I'll ask them to "lead" us back home (and I'll often follow from a distance behind them).

Sometimes I worry we aren't doing enough to give them age-appropriate freedoms, especially compared to how my DH and I grew up in the 1980s. But we try to find opportunities where we can.[/quote]

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