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Oh my, I was thinking like 4. Obviously, this would be in my safe back yard and they would be checked on frequently. I do think the temperament of the child is a consideration but normally 6 is a pretty competent age to be unsupervised for short periods of time.

It sounds like this child was out front which I also would not have a problem with at 6. Our street is a slow, residential street and the visibility is great for both the playing child and the drivers. With kids I nannied for on a very similar street they were given permission to go about half a block ahead of me or their parents from about 4, we were outside too but there is nothing you can do to keep them from being run over at that point.

Similarly, at 9 they were allowed to go half a block to the playground with friends. They were out of sight and probably out of yelling distance but knew the important phone numbers and there were always people out in the event of a catastrophe.

I don't think there is anything inherently dangerous in what that mother did and further more it was irresponsible of that neighbor to use up the resources of CPS on such a silly situation.

Wow!

I'm not sure what age we'd feel comfortable letting the kids play outdoors by themselves. It would depend on their maturity and where we live, I think.

I was definitely allowed to play outside by myself at age six though. At my grandparents house I had 'boundaries': I was allowed to ride my big wheel from the green house to the yellow house on the side walk. Similar rules at my own home. We lived on a cul de sac so maybe that played a role in my panera decision...?

I think it really, really, depends on the space involved. Are there any hazards nearby... road, pool, etc. How safe is the area? Can parents see the child from the house, etc.? I definitely played outside by myself at that age, but we lived in a very safe rural area and had 4 acres of property. I would let J play in our backyard at that age unsupervised for a few minutes at a time, but it's in a safe area and fenced. I could also look out the kitchen window and keep tabs on her.

I think I was 5 or so when I learned to ride a bike (possible younger?) and I rode my bike around with my older brother ALL THE TIME and we went far for our age. My mom never even asked us where we were going. We were definitely not within eyesight of the house.

So just playing alone outside...it would depend on our neighborhood. Right now, I live in a really urban environment so there's nowhere to "play" anyway--just a sidewalk and the street. But if LO wants to walk to the corner store alone to buy candy or gum or something (it's not our corner. We just have a nail salon and a DD, so the store is 2 blocks away), I would probably make her wait till she's 8-10 years old.

I would definitely allow my 6 year old to play outside by herself, but probably just in our yard. We live in a very quiet, suburban neighborhood with very low crime and our neighbors are mostly elderly and empty nesters. Id say around 8-10, Id allow her run of the street.

I know by 10, I was allowed our whole block and we were allowed to walk to the park a couple blocks away alone.

We're definitely more "free range" when it comes to parenting.

@loveisstrange: I'm a free range parent & MY DH is like "don't let her do anything, EVER!" lol so we'll see what kind of rules we'll come up with when LO starts wanting to do things on her own!

I think it totally depends on your child and where you live. We live in a capital city, but it is incredibly safe. I often see kids who look like they are 6 or 7 walking on the sidewalk alone on the way to school (or alone in public transit). It is pretty normal here. In the parks after school I see a whole lot of kids between maybe 7-10 that don't look like they have parents hanging around. I myself am too neurotic to let a child under 8 play outside unsupervised. Maybe if we lived in suburbia with a fenced in yard I would. But not in the city.

Hmm I don't know. If the other neighborhood kids were around, I was allowed to go out with them unsupervised when I was 7 or 8. I don't know that I was allowed to go out front by myself or with just my younger brother until I was 9 or 10. My parents were really cautious though. Kidnapping was big in the news in the 90s in Toronto.

I'm thinking for my LO probably when she is 7 or 8 as well because I don't think the kids would be playing directly in front of our home. They would probably be going around the corner to another part of the subdivision and I wouldn't be able to see them.

@Anagram: I was wondering about this, too. In the part of the city where we are now, I wouldn't let her go alone for a while, because there can be a bunch of traffic. It's something we'll have to think about.

I think by 6 is totally fine if the area is safe, and especially if they are with other children. By 6, we were all over the place, and by 8, my sisters and I were walking to the bus stop by ourselves.

My daughter (3) is allowed to play in our backyard when I'm in the adjacent kitchen.

I would think once she's in kindergarten, she could play in the fenced back yard on her own.