AIBU on how much freedom to give a 5 year old??

Exactly. You were lucky newtlover, it was nothing to do with good judgement or good parenting.

I really don't understand post like these where ppl insist that a child is capable of more understanding then we are aware of as has been said or some children are more responsible and we know our kids capabilities. This is utter nonsense. Children don't get into difficulties because they aren't the child you think or they aren't good or responsible, they get into difficulties because a situation that aren't equipped to deal with might occure and they don't know how to react. Happens to responsible adults. Stop being lazy and watch your kids so you don't have to find out if they know what to do... grown men are going missing and ending up dead for crying out loud.

Way too young for what you describe. The other parents seem irresponsible.

Once a kid lost their balloon onto the track and she said no no you can't try and get it. She understands how a train could run you over.

So if I were op, I'd strongly impress on my child how dangerous playing near water is.

As I say, you know your own child.

My dd is not 2 any more... she's still never shown an inclination to jump off a station platform! And I'm always in dart-and-grab distance.

It's like a pp said, sometimes kids are capable of more understanding than you think. And sometimes they rise to your expectations too.

But you know your own child. If you have a bolter, or one who doesn't understand warnings or rules, then you need different strategies

This is pretty ridiculous - it's your job as a parent to keep your tiny child alive, not give her the option of making a fatal mistake and hope for the best "but we told her the rule!!"

I'm fairly laid back about this kind of thing and don't feel I have to have my 5 year old in sight at all times - quite happy for her to run off and play in a park that has some wooded areas for example - but no chance would I let an excitable child out of sight in a large forest near water.

I wouldn’t be walking around after him- I’d watch from a distance, know where they are in relation to the stream, keep them in sight but from further away than a 3 year old say. I definitely wouldn’t let him run off into a forest with a stream.

I would like eyes on him.Perhaps if there is a forest school or scouts etc might give him structured safer space to be adventurous?

this

they didn’t know how you had taught your daughter FGS

i would have seen this and my heart will have been racing ready to pounce

My dd learned from a tiny age the rule "never cross the yellow line" on train station platforms... people used to stare disapprovingly when she was 2yo because I didn't always hold her hand. But she's a black and white thinker when it comes to rules like that, she'd never break it.
@Mumoftwo1316
people were not staring disapprovingly, they are calculating how far away they were from your daughter and how quickly they could grab her if she randomly thought in shades of grey
a 2yo is not developmentally capable of sticking to an absolute rule, 100% of the time- trust her to stick to some rules, like 'no biscuits unless mummy says so' or 'don't play with daddy's phone'- where the consequences are trivial. Don't trust her to keep herself safe when the consequences might be fatal.
Not a cultural issue, a psychological one.

Depends on the setting. I wouldn't keep a 5 year old in full sight if we were playing out on a field with bushes, or on a child play park, or in the woods if they were with other children and I had explained acceptable perimeters. I would just sit down somewhere so they knew where they were and then check where they are sporadically. If there was a body of water I would keep them in sight though unless there was a fence separating us from the water. . Most 5 year olds are more capable then we give them credit.

I never let my 5yo out of my sight. The moment I can't see him, even if he's turned a street corner before me, results in me shouting for him to return so he's visible. Even when he's up playing in his room, if it's gone quiet, I'll check on him. 5 is very young, and 5yos are very impulsive. 5yos break bones whilst out playing all the time (I've seen enough of them in a&e). A severely broken bone can kill quickly. So can a bump to the head or a misadventure into water. Don't feel pressured to comply, you're doing the right thing in ensuring your child is safe.

but even if you were op

who cares

your child 🤷

5???? i can’t believe you’re even asking

eyes in him at all times in a forest and with water

My parents’ friend’s son ended up brain damaged when he was 5 and fell into a woodland stream. He’s 32 now and has needed round the clock care since the accident. It will never be worth it in my opinion.

Mines 5 in a couple of weeks and I wouldn't let him out of sight around water, no way.

It doesn't matter how responsible other older kids are a 5 year old is only the responsibility of their adult in charge and no one else. I had a friend who a few times would try to send our kids off alone to play or get a drink or an ice cream at the park because my daughter was older, and I said no to this every time. She would roll her eyes but these types roll their eyes untill something goes wrong then they blame the world when something goes wrong . My child might be older and of course as responsible as she can be but she can't take action in a serious emergency or be expected to know what to do she's a child herself.

Yes I want them within sight.