14 Oct Would you let your five-year-old walk to the local park alone?
One mother’s decision to give her young son a little independence ended in a criminal conviction. Her story raises a question many parents face: when is a child old enough to venture out alone?
When five-year-old Sam wanted to walk to a nearby pond to collect goose feathers, his mother, Karyann Parkinson, said yes.
The family lived in a gated community in Virginia, USA, and had visited the pond together many times. Sam knew the route, and his mother believed he was capable of making the short trip and returning home.
But someone spotted him walking alone, and a security guard brought him home. Police and child protection authorities became involved, and his mother was eventually convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
She received a six-month suspended jail sentence and was placed on Virginia’s child abuse and neglect registry for seven years. Parkinson has maintained that she made a reasonable parenting decision and has said she intends to appeal.
How young is too young?
The case, reported in September 2026, has divided opinion. Was five simply too young to be out alone, particularly near water? Or was his mother taking a reasonable step towards teaching independence?
The pond certainly raises safety concerns. While many Australian children learn to swim from an early age, swimming lessons don’t remove the risks associated with water, especially without adult supervision.
But what if Sam had been walking to a nearby friend’s house or the local playground? Would that change how we viewed his mother’s decision?
It’s a question Australian parents increasingly face as their children ask to ride their bikes around the neighbourhood, visit friends or walk to the shops without an adult.
We want our children to become confident and independent, but we also want them to be safe. And knowing when to loosen the reins isn’t always easy.
When is your child ready?
In a companion article from The Conversation, psychologist Michelle Andrews Luke explains why age alone isn’t enough to determine whether a child is ready to go out independently.
She explores the importance of good judgement, awareness of surroundings, reliability and setting clear boundaries.
Read: How do I know my child is ready to leave the house on their own?
What do you think? At what age would you feel comfortable allowing your child to walk somewhere alone?
