Do you allow your kids to play outside alone?

My son is 8 years old and I let him play outside by himself. He has been allowed to play outside by himself since he was around 6, but we live in the country and there is no one else around. He also knows that he is not allowed anywhere near the road and usually plays in the back yard.

As a child years ago it was very common practise for us to go out and play alone,we were often packed off with a sandwich and a bottle of squash and asked to go and play.We used to go down by the river banks and look at the nature,the wild flowers,and pick Mum a bunch of bluebells or primroses what ever we could find.We used to watch the moorhens nesting and wait until the chicks were on the water.We went to watch the cricket matches,and when we were on school vacation we used to spend it alone,as our parents both worked,but this was the norm,it was accepted,life was very different then,the dangers were not seen to be as high risk.Certainly we were told never to speak to strangers and we had the normal warnings that parents give to their children,but we were a lot more liberated,freedom was ours and we used it to the full.Now I watch my daughter with her child,and she is constantly on edge,watching her play from the lounge window,she is six,and old enough to go out and enjoy playing with her friends,but there is always the element of worry,the what ifs?and when you read the news and watch the television news then it is no wonder why parents of today feel stressed about letting the children loose to play.it would not be deemed safe in any way shape or form to let your children roam freely.

My children are 8 and 11 and I do allow them to play outside. Not after dark though. And I didn't allow it when they were 5 either....

I have 5 year old twins and they do play outside alone. I live in a small community where everyone knows each other, and nothing much exciting ever happens. My next door neighbor lets her 3 year old outside under the supervision of the 10 year old. That's just the sort of neighborhood it is. They know better than to play near the road.

My children are 5 and 8, and they are never allowed to play outside by themselves. We live in Spain, and although we are out often at the beach, park, playground or in the village they are always within sight. One of the reasons we left the UK was because it was never safe. We used to live opposite a park with a wood, but I knew it would never be safe to let our kids out by themselves. Now we are in Spain, we could let our kids out as most of the time it is safe, but we come from the UK and know that you can never be too complacent. In fact, there has been a few documentaries, where they followed the paedophiles from the UK, and guess what - some of them went to Spain, where they were not known and everyone was more relaxed. My 8 year old daughter wants a little bit more independence now, but she understands my concerns and so we come to an agreement - she can go further afield, but always where someone can see her.