Much has been made lately about kids getting themselves from one place to another by themselves. There's the mom who let her 9-year-old ride the New York subway alone. That set of a fire-storm last spring. Lenore Skenazy, the mom, has become something of a stop-the-madness voice for children and families who don't want to live in fear all the time. Her blog is called Free-Range Kids -- "Give our kids the freedom we had without going nuts with worry."

The New York Times followed up with a story on Sunday about how parents struggle with letting their kids walk to school. One mom in the story relates how a neighbor DROVE her 7-year-old child home, five houses away. That's just crazy, and lazy.

My kids started walking to their friends' house down the street at a young age. I'd stand in the driveway and watch them go. Then retrieve them later (I didn't DRIVE!). Eventually, they were doing it on their own. There were lessons learned along the way: "No, you cannot walk around the block." "No, it's too dark." In time, the rules loosen, the parameters grow.

We live close enough to stores and restaurants that the next step was inevitable. This summer my son would hop on his bike with friends to grab some lunch somewhere. They'd walk to Blockbuster to pick up a video. Once he called me in a panic before a trip that he needed socks. I told him to ride his bike to the store and buy some.

Next will be driving. And college. And, hopefully, studying abroad. All of the little steps along the way have been preparing them for that.

So yes, whenever possible, parents should let their kids walk down the street and to school and beyond. What do you think? Are you a free-range parent?

Photo: Forum Publishing Group