I was a free range kid from Queens NY in the 1970's, we lived in a nice area but were close to some tough places. But I even got to make friends with kids that lived there too.
I learned how to be independent and enjoyed the adventures we kids would take on our bikes on and as I grow older (14ish), we would travel the subways to Manhattan and visit places like the UN and Statue of Liberty on our own.
I made many friends that I would never had a chance to, if locked in my own backyard. My Friends and I had no hovering Moms to watch over us, we had a chance to live out a childhood. Out in the morning, back for Lunch, then out till Dinner.
I got to learn firsthand how to handle the do not talk to or take candy from strangers and I learned to take care of myself and developed self-reliance. Today, kids never get the chance to do so, they have no Street Smarts and thats a shame.
The world is not so different today, only the media is now scaring the daylights out of us each and every day. Many have only given into these fears.
BTW is it not more likely for a Child to be molested by a family member or trusted Adult that by a total stranger anyway?
Welcome to Websleuths, Litespeed, and thanks so much for checking in on this subject, which is near and dear to my heart.
Stranger child abduction is exceedingly rare and, as you point out, our children stand more of a chance of being molested by someone they know, some adult WE introduce into their lives.
Additionally, if you're into statistics (I'm NOT), you stand a
much greater chance of your child being hurt or killed if you put them in a car than if you drop them off for a few unattended hours at the park. And yet I never see anyone call someone an unfit parent when they choose to drive their child somewhere.
I mean - don't get me wrong - stranger child abduction is awful, and I will fight tooth and nail to help create a world where it doesn't exist. But I will not let fear of a terrible rare potential dictate the way I parent. I'm not stitched together that way.
And that's what it all boils down to - different parents have different comfort levels with all this stuff. One set of parents may be fine with their 3rd grader anywhere in the neighborhood on a bike - other parents allow a smaller bike-riding range - others still won't allow it at all unless they are there to watch the child. None of these parents are "wrong:" they just parent from different levels of comfort.
DS9 ran into some conflict yesterday on his free range a travels - a bullyish boy who was being physically aggressive and verbally abusive towards him. Because his Dad and I weren't lurking in the shadows close by, he had to manage that situation
on his own. He did a great job, IMHO.