> 2) Give them unstructured play time with friends consistently. After age 9 or so, they really can go off on their own without parents around. http://cwrp.ca/

> 2) Give them unstructured play time with friends consistently. After age 9 or so, they really can go off on their own without parents around. http://cwrp.ca/sites/default/files/publications/en/144e.pdf http://cwrp.ca/sites/default/files/publications/en/144e.pdf In Manitoba I can be fined up to $50,000 and given 24 months in prison if I allow my kids to play alone under the age of 12. The PDF refers to child 'home' or 'in a vehicle' alone, but the details of the law are that the guardian of any child under the age without adequate supervision is liable. I'm not even that old and I used to play in a park with my friends, in one of the rougher neighborhoods in my city, 2 kilometers from my parents house when I was 8. Those were great experiences my kids can't legally have.