I let my 8-year-old roam the neighborhood, and other parents are starting to do the same

When my son was 5, we left him home alone for the first time while we walked to a farmstand. He built a fort in the playroom, loaded it with books, and kept our laptop nearby to text us or call 911. When we returned with peaches, his face showed unbridled joy and pride — he had stayed home alone, followed the rules, and been entrusted to take care of himself.

Nearly four years later, we’ve helped pave the way for neighborhood families to let 8- and 9-year-olds bike to each other’s houses, round up their buddies, head to the park, or simply ride around like we did growing up. At first we used a walkie-talkie with about a half-mile range to check in; now he knows the boundaries, avoids the two major roads around our neighborhood, and we’ve cut back on texting other parents to see who’s home.

Other parents are following. As Jonathan Haidt wrote in The Anxious Generation, it’s easier to resist a screen-based childhood when families are on the same page.

8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, neighborhood play, biking, park, walkie-talkie, boundaries, screen time, jonathan haidt, anxious generation