I have a lot of kids and I am a good Mom. I KNOW how important it is to keep kids safe but I also know how easy it is to rely on habit and comfort within my own neighborhood. Therefore, it strikes me as curious that Mom stood outside and watched her daughter the ENTIRE time, walking down the street, until she was out of sight. This wasn't a five year old - she was ten. Chances are, there were other kids out walking to school. Mom had just returned home from working the night shift and probably was exhausted. I know that it's what all parents "should" be doing; I'm just saying that after years of watching your kid walk to school every day, at some point you begin to feel safer and kiss them goodbye. Good for her, if she still watched her every day, but I think that "comfort" does start to take over sometime between age 5 and 10. This reminds me of the Lauren Spierer case, when the last person presumed to see Lauren said he watched her walk until she got out of site. I'm not saying Mom had anything to do with it - it could just be a comment made b/c it's what every good mom is supposed to do. I am just saying that I don't believe in reality that it's what EVERY "Good Mom" does every single morning - especially those whose kids are 10 and who have just returned home from working the night shift all night. Perhaps those who have younger kids will think I'm wrong. When my kids were young, I never would have thought there'd come a day when I would let them walk to school alone. Fortunately, mine never had to - but they do walk down the street and round the corner, out of sight, to the bus stop. I eventually did let them grow up and didn't stand there watching every morning til the rounded the corner. Now, in her neighborhood, things could be different. I feel extremely safe where I am and there are tons of kids (and parents of the younger ones) out walking when mine leave for school, so thay provides more security too.
