Who else remembers being told to 'turn off that idiot box and go outside and play with your friends, be back by the time the street lights come on and don't make me have to call you in'? Why did this go out of fashion? I almost never see kids playing outside anymore without adult supervision. The last thing we wanted when I was a kid was an adult hovering around us, how would we manage to do anything that was fun. Nobody died, a few broken bones and some bloody noses but that's all.
We may like it or not but life was different then.... A lot of bad things can happen (and do happen) today
I was free range because my parents were monsters. They didn't want me around and I didn't want to be around them! When I met people who hung out with their family members and had conversations and healthy relationships with them, I was shocked that such families existed. My kids have grown up with a pretty healthy dose of both worlds and I see no problem with that. I let them go when they want to go and I enjoy them when they're here.