I agree with the comment above that mentioned a lot of our overprotectionism comes from fear of how we might be judged by others. I lived in NY for years and if my kid had grown up in the city and was as responsible as the columnist's son, I'd probably let him ride the subway alone too. But I don't know if I'd tell anyone about it. To me, that took far more courage than giving her kid a Metrocard and waving goodbye. My mother used to leave us alone in the car in the supermarket parking lot while she did the shopping. If she did that today some nosy passerby would call the cops. When I was eight or nine I babysat my younger brother and sister (aged two and five) in the evening when my parents went out. I was babysitting for other families by the time I was 11 and earning my spending money that way. This was perfectly acceptable in the Eighties. Honestly I think it was a lot easier to parent when you weren't afraid of showing up on the eight o'clock news for neglect after having left your three-year-old alone in the house while you watered the flowers outside.