I let my 5-year old play outside unsupervised. We live in a quiet neighborhood and he doesn't go far. If I'm hanging out in the garage with the door open, I'll let his 3-year old brother join him. I've already gotten an earful from some of the busybody neighborhood moms and I know I'm risking a visit by child services for doing this but I don't want to raise a bunch of wussy kids.
They way I see it is that all those other kids will someday be working for my kids, who are being raised with confidence and self-reliance.
I’m sorry, but letting 3, 4, or 5 year old kids run around in front of your house, unsupervised, with the street right there is not safe. I do not trust a 3 or a 5 year old not to run out in front of cars passing by. I do not trust my kids lives with the drivers in my neighborhood.
Many times I have narrowly missed an unsupervised toddler(s) who runs out into the street in front of me (and I drive under the speed limit in neighborhoods for this reason). A three year old kid or even a 5 yr old does not think about on coming cars when they are chasing a ball or just chasing each other.
Also, I’ve seen a ten yr old going around and opening up people’s mail boxes. When I’ve said something, I get the “mind your own business” and “how dare you correct my kid” speech.
I know that you are not defending that, but sometimes kids DO need supervision.
If you are talking about your backyard or a neighbor’s backyard (that you know) then fine. Older kids who have been taught how to watch for traffic, fine. If you know your neighbors well enough to trust them - great.
But, I’m not willing to trust everyone to be good drivers or moral and non-perverts.
The wussy tween nephews came for a visit this summer. They don’t know what outside is because they aren’t allowed to play in their own backyard. They wimped out on geocaching because it is done outside in the sunshine where there’s bugs and weeds and stickers, oh my! They wouldn’t go hiking or rock hunting at the state park and where there is a playground and a lake for swimming and no way to camping out. They didn’t want to go to another park where the water is shallow a long way out so they could chase each other or play ball. We barely got them to go swimming at the house. A visit to a cave was out. No to archery, croquet, flying a kite, fishing, RC cars in the driveway, riding bikes (didn’t know how to ride a bike and didn’t want to learn) or exploring wildlife in our perfectly safe country neighborhood, no to running an errand for me a quarter mile down our quiet road to grandma’s, and no to a million other kid activities. Only one ventured out to the garage once to play with the kittens. They refused to help hubby grill one night and he had to beg them to go out later to roast marshmallows. One let something roll under the desk but was too scared to put his hand under to get it. The other is so timid he can’t speak above a whisper. Wimps! Enough was enough. We ended their visit early and packed them off other relatives.