I have 2 boys who are 8 and 7, the 8 year old has SEN and is very immature for his age.
If they play out when I am home, I go and sit on my camping chair at the and of our drive and tell them to stay in sight. It's not a very busy street so not to many cars. But there is a main road at the end.
Anyway, I work weekends, and husband (their dad) doesn't supervise, you can hear them from the lounge, but not see them. I don't think 8 year old is mature enough to be unsupervised, but he thinks I'm over anxious (I admit I am an anxious person). He lets them play out unsupervised and checks on them after 5 mins if he hasn't heard them.
Youngest is very creative and loves playing games, and said (I was in work at this point so this is what I was told) let's go to London (meaning let's play at it) and eldest actually thought he meant it, and had got to the end of the street and over the bridge which goes over the main road, and was crossing a quieter road, when husband found him (about 2 minutes walk). He made him go to his room, and after tea they went straight to bed.
Husband thinks this is just what kids do, they don't think, but this is why I don't think they should be unsupervised. They had a boundary where they should stop, and they didn't.
Youngest claims he stopped on bridge and shouted at eldest to stop and come back, but he didn't.
I now don't want them out unsupervised as eldest has shown he isn't mature enough. I think we should supervise them this year, then next year try again, but stand in bedroom window at first (you can see street from there) to check they stay where they should.
I don't think its unreasonable to do this, but I know husband will brush it off as me being silly. He has already minimalised it.
If he had said oh I don't think he's ready yet to be out unsupervised, and he understood where I was coming from, then that would be something.
I know I'm not perfect, and don't claim to be, but this is serious to me. I just worry he will do it anyway when I'm in work.