Parent wonders about son roaming

Dear Amy: At what age can I let my 7-year-old son ride his bike to his best friends’ house (two blocks away) on his own? The other family is fine with it. I’m not afraid of traffic or crime (quiet, safe area), but of being reported. I’ve heard about parents being arrested for allowing unsupervised play. Is there a law regarding when it is safe to let kids be on their own? — K

Dear K: Yes, there are stories about adults reporting parents for letting their children play unsupervised in public. I think seven is a little young to responsibly ride a bike solo across intersections, but then again, I was riding pretty far and wide at that age (and other farm kids I knew were basically operating heavy equipment at that age).

But I’m not your son’s parent — you are. You should have the right to make choices regarding your own comfort — and to gauge your son’s competency — out in the world.

You might not be able to prevent concerned (or nosy) neighbors from calling CPS or law enforcement over seeing a young child riding solo, so you should check your local and state laws to see if you are violating any statutes.

Dear Amy: A woman who was sick of school fundraising informed the school that, “my daughter would not be pestering neighbors, friends or families with any fundraisers.” Money has to come from somewhere. If these groups didn’t raise funds, the only option would be to raise membership fees.

I hope she also included a very helpful check to cover her daughter’s expected (and needed) contribution. — Generous

Dear Generous: I read about a school that started the school year by offering parents an option: to contribute a flat fee to be put into an activity fund, and be put on a “do not pester” list for fundraisers. This idea was quite popular.