DS1 is 13, and has just bought himself a new scooter with his Christmas money he’d been saving. He is currently at a skate park 2 miles away (he has gone pretty much every day of the Easter hols so far). He leaves on his own and just hangs out with whoever is there - mostly from a different secondary school and he’s made lots of new friends.
DH dropped him and picked him up the first few times he went but now he’s at work and I’m happy to let him make his own way there and back. He did call me once when he got half way home but his foot was hurting (he does have intermittent issues with his heels) and so I went out in rush hour traffic to pick him up. Took 25 mins in the car with traffic and is a longer route as on the scooter he can take a shortcut through an underpass which goes under the motorway.
DH isn’t happy that I’m letting him go so far on his own and spend hours there then make his own way back. DS does keep in touch if I phone him etc and I can track his location etc.
Am I being too lax, or is DH just being too protective?! We both grew up fairly rural and would both spend the day out on our bikes with our friends etc, there were no phones really so we’d just have a time to be in by and that was that. I understand obvious times have changed and I think it’s more the travelling to and from the skate park by himself that bothers him more. Should I ferry him here and there? Which means either dragging DS2 (9) with us or leaving him home alone for half an hour…
Just after an outsiders prospective I guess, and to see how much freedom and independence you allow your kids of a similar age.