As a parent, I'm willing to let my kids walk to school or roam at will once they turn 5 or 6. I know my son could handle it, but I'm more concerned about the accusations of neglect from other parents and the possibility of DHS getting involved rather negligible chance of any sort of kidnapping or crime.

There is a real class bias to what folks are considering "proper parenting." Not every family can afford the kind of parenting (helicopter and isolationist) that is approved of today. I started working with my mother at 10 years old cleaning houses. At 11, I was working on my own, with my mother's permission, to help support the family. I went to work on my own and came home on my own. My mother taught me how to be smart and safe. Now, I am a Professor of sociology with a Ph.D. I think I turned out okay.

The "women are at work" point is a good one. The "in my day, we roamed the streets free" argument breaks down when you take into account that most parents are not home during the day - therefore, neither are the kids.

Last weekend we dropped our daughter off for a college visit and let her tour the school alone. She has to like it there, not us, she has to live there, not us and its her decision. What good would micromanaging the process do? We trust her to make her own decisions. The admissions department thought it was totally inappropriate for us not to be there, that was how she realized that was not the school for her. A few days later, different school, different attitude from the admissions department and she fell in love with the school. She didn't need us to tell her what to do...we trust her. Let your kids make their own decisions, on their own.