Anonymous wrote:My child is almost 9 and she plays independently. Disclaimer: we live in an enclave of two cul-de-sac’s in the country. She is fine on foot and knows what houses she can go to. We do not allow her out on her own on her 4-wheeler because she cannot hear cars or danger approaching over the whine of the motor. Since our neighborhood is hilly and very spread out with no sidewalks this poses a danger. I might check in by texting the parents of the home she is visiting if I am worried.

Your 9 yo drives a 4 wheeler ?!

My youngest is 4 and she plays outside in ours or our neighbors yard with my oldest and her friend who are 7/8. I don’t sit outside and supervise but they know not to go in the street or leave either of our properties.

For my oldest it was probably kindergarten.

Anonymous wrote:I finally started letting my daughter hang out with some of the neighborhood kids without direct full-time supervision at around 13. Until then one parent had to be present the entire time.

My kids were supervising/babysitting other kids at age 12.

Jack and Annie were 8 and 7 when they kept slipping into the woods to get into a magic treehouse/Time Machine. So, you can stop supervising when your kids are old enough to read clues from a kindly librarian and are capable of escaping saber tooth tigers.

My kindergartner can play outside with friends on our property, and can go to the park nearby (walking, I don’t allow them to bike yet) with his 8 yr old sibling but I don’t trust him to cross the street solo yet. 8 year old can to around without a parent- but I did get 8 yr old a watch she can use to call me bc people don’t have landlines anymore and it was stressful to be out of touch. My guess is those saying older ages are defining neighborhood as much larger or are in different communities where that makes sense.

I do know of some families that don’t allow bike riding but kids access whatever on their iPads- imo that’s poor risk management

Don’t you think this is neighborhood specific? I live in a high-traffic area of dc and would not even think about letting my kid play outside in my partially fenced yard unsupervised for more than a few minutes.

At friends’ houses in quieter neighborhoods, I definitely let him (7) play outside with friends.

Anonymous wrote:13 is about when I will stop. I’ve seen reports of little kids dousing a kid with acid. No thanks, I’ll watch my kids

? This is a highly unlikely scenario.

Anonymous wrote:In our fenced backyard, my six and eight year old are both fine. I don't let them play out front alone, though the eight year old could.

Why because of the boogeyman?

Anonymous wrote:10 and still supervising. Can’t imagine not. Mostly this means coffee in the street with other moms, or watching out the window while at my desk.

Time to foster a little bit if independence. This isn’t good for your kid.

In our fenced backyard, my six and eight year old are both fine. I don't let them play out front alone, though the eight year old could.

My child is almost 9 and she plays independently. Disclaimer: we live in an enclave of two cul-de-sac’s in the country. She is fine on foot and knows what houses she can go to. We do not allow her out on her own on her 4-wheeler because she cannot hear cars or danger approaching over the whine of the motor. Since our neighborhood is hilly and very spread out with no sidewalks this poses a danger. I might check in by texting the parents of the home she is visiting if I am worried.