Daughter ‘Gone for a walk’, talk me off the ledge. Please

[ConciseandNice]

My ten year old wanted to go out for a walk. I argued with her about it. I was worrying and realised I was stopping her doing something her brothers did. I let her go. Twenty minutes in, I’m sat here freaking out. My chest is thumping. I was raped when I was walking home from school when I was 12 and I know this is effecting how I’m now treating her. I realise this. I want to stop being an asshole. I’m just so worried. I know aibu, but it’ll be ok right? She’ll be ok? Later, should I talk to her about what happened to me? Should I tell her I know I’m being irrational but that’s why? What do I do. Typing this is stopping me from hyperventilating.

5plus you don’t know too much about the development of children re road safety if you think 7 is the right age to tell people to send them out alone. Blanket ages take no account of where someone lives, the type of roads (and people) around them, the number of pavement cyclists etc.
On paper our post box is one small street to cross - in practice it’s on a blind corner and the small street is used as a rat run by commuters. My ten year old told me he’d used the zebra crossing to get over - there is no zebra crossing. So he merrily crosses on some white lines marking a speed bump thinking the cars would stop for him
Oh FFS as usual dimwit MNers take everything SO literally. Obv a 'post box example was not referring to crossing busy roads at blind corners' It was clearly a step below walking to a playground. ie walking 100 yards up the street

Later, should I talk to her about what happened to me?

I think your heart is in the right place, but be honest with yourself.What would be your motivation in doing that? To scare her out of asking for age appropriate independence.It would be an extremely manipulative thing to do!

Just for the record - I have walked to clear my head since I was 8. I am pretty good at keeping myself safe; nothing really bad has ever happened to me. It is the single best way for me to clear my head.

In the meantime, if you can't settle with letting her walk, could you take her for a swim by herself? If she's competent, of course.

I'd definitely recommend talking to her about staying safe and, if or when she starts taking headphones, having one out or listening quietly so she knows who is around her.