what age did you let your DC play out? ie out of your sight???

[uhoh2016]

My ds1 9 and ds2 6 play out on the front in our street so it's easy to keep an eye on them and can generally hear them if I can't see them (ds2 is very loud lol).
A few of ds1 friends (they're in y4) who don't live in our street have been recently asking my ds to go and play out with them however I'm reluctant to let him go where I can't see him. Obviously the other Mums are ok with their dc to be going out of sight and round to other friends streets. Am I being to strict?
Fwiw my ds and his friends are sensible and generally good kids I don't think they want to do anything else other than play together and 'hang out '.
There is a park quite central to where his friends live which is closest to our house out of all the friends (I can see some but not all the park from my house). His best friend lives at the opposite end of the park he often asks if he can go round there to play with him, he wouldn't need to cross any roads or anything like that.
Is it time to let go?

Bump???

I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. My sons played in our house / garden / outside in the road and at the houses /roads of friends, so where they could be seen, while they were primary school age. I always either walked or drove them to school then (didn't want them crossing a busy road on their own).

It started to change from around 11 yrs when they started secondary school. They walked to school either on their own or with friends, they ventured further afield when playing outside, they had doorkeys and mobile phones at that age ...it evolved gradually. But I always knew where they were and who they were with.

Looking back, a couple of other mums were comfortable for their dc to have more freedom at a slightly earlier age than I was. But you have to do what feels right for you and your children.

Thanks empty I'm not comfortable yet for him to be out of my sight for a long period as much as I trust him and know he's a sensible kid. Think I was more after reassurance I wasn't being to harsh. I know I will have to loosen them strings at some point it's just hard to know when