Forty years ago, I allowed our four-year-old daughter to walk to her nursery school by herself, after a couple of escorted trips. This was on the encouragement of the teacher. The distance was three blocks, one out to a busy street with sidewalks, and two more along it to the church where the class was held.

Nowadays I'd probably be cited for child abuse and neglect.

I taught our seven-year-old daughter how to ride her bike on sidewalks and how to stop and cross streets. Again, after accompanying her closely, I rode fifty feet behind her as she used her judgment about when to cross.

Soon after the elder daughter got her driver's license, I was riding in the passenger seat and became sleepy. I had no fear about dozing off when she was at the wheel.

Rest assured, most sane people know you are certainly not the World's Worst Mom. I happened to see you on one of the morning
yapper shows and thought the commentator was seriously out of line. She kept badgering you, attempting to get you to agree that what you allowed your son to do was some how close to a criminal act. Posh, I say! Your son (in the video made after the fact) came across as a capable young man with a good head on his shoulders. Thank you for standing up to the fear mongers of the world. I am often ashamed to see how our American cultural roots based on courage in the face of overwhelming odds has been highjacked by the fear of stupid senseless people. Your actions deserve praise, not condemnation.

I agree with what you did! I am a firm believer in independance for children. With in reason. I would rather my child be able to navigate the subway especially in an emerceny then to stand on a street corner not kowing what to do scared to death. The problem in the world today is to many people think they have the right to judge you for waht you did. If people look at a situation and think "maybe not my choice " but hers, then walk away silentley the world would be a better place. We all live with the decisins we make weather good or bad. We should all mmind "our" own business. My hope for my children when ever it is my time to leave this earth is that I have taught them to be able to function with out me and get on with there lives from the lifes lessons I have taught them. Good for you!

i totally agree with what this mum did, i live in Uk and many mums are yelling and screaming, and stomping they're feet because they say, she was wrong and the boy should be taken into care, i however disagree 110%, i have an 8yr old child who has ADHD and he wants to walk to school on his own, and i will be doing some dummy runs with him because i think he is ok to do it, it is a 5min walk from the school and this mum has given me the courage to do it,
we should live in fear of anything happening to our kids, and its a well known fact that in the uk more children were "taken" in the 60's than now, the only reason it seems higher is because the media report it more.
so what i have taken from this is, don't let your kids live in fear of walking out on they're own, this boy and my boy will grow up to be independant and wise, but we can allways allow our kids to becomme couch potatoes and play violent video games all the time!