[jonathanlb]

I agree with this sentiment, but there have been cases of families who have had CPS called on them for letting their kids walk home alone from a nearby park [1]. It's frustrating to know that neighbors, schools, or authorities might interpret normal childhood independence as neglect and report parents to authorities.

[1] https://archive.ph/ZISnH

[RyanOD]

Sure, there will always be edge cases. That's just how the world works.

Let your kids go out and ride bikes and you may end up with one getting hit by a car. Those are the risks every parent has to manage.

But if we let the edge cases dictate how we raise our kids, we end up with what we don't want - overly managed bubble-youth kids who can't think for themselves.

[JSteph22]

Unless you have some compelling evidence to the contrary, this cannot be dismissed as "edge cases" when cultural norms have changed across the board and all it takes is one complaint...

[9rx]

It is possible. But take a risk! Don't fall into the trap of allowing your children to be scared of everything like you are.

[jolmg]

Pre-teen walking to a friend's house a mile away, probably semi-frequently?

Is that a risk or a near certainty?

Looking for online guidelines, I find this:

> According to an American Academy of Pediatrics survey of social workers that was posted in Science Daily, children under 12 years old should not be left alone for more than four hours. The social workers who were surveyed also concluded that child neglect will likely be considered when children are injured during that time period. --- https://www.tedbakerlaw.com/child-unsupervised-neglect/

A scraped knee might be injury enough.