4 year old wants to play out all the time

[inmyslippers]

I can't relax. Feel like I have to stick my head out every 5mins. He started playing out at 3 and I would sit outside. Over summer I began letting him have short
Intervals alone. He plays with some of the older kids and that eases my mind abit. Keeping him in feels cruel when there's so many kids out. Soon as we get back from school he's on my case to go out. I used to roam around unsupervised in the 90s and I doubt my mum even noticed I was gone.

OP I'm with you on this one, we live at the bottom of a small estate, there's a big green in front of the house and all the kids are let out to play from around 4/5. Front doors are unlocked and the kids come in and out as they need. I can tell how many kids are in the house from the number of pairs of shoes at the front door 😄

When DS was 3/4, I sat outside with him all the time, the summer he was 5, we had clear rules that he needed to be within sight of the front door at all times and now he's allowed on the cul-de-sac road behind us as well.

It's not like the OP just opened her front door and fucked her kid out to play. Sounds like she's increasing his freedom based on her ongoing assessment of the other kids, her child's maturity etc.
And for those saying they'd report for neglect 🙄