I am admittedly a helicopter parent. Part of that is just my personality, but I was definitely affected by an experience I had early in my parenthood. When my first kid was 3 months old, she got rsv and was really sick, so we took her to Dell Children’s. While in the ER exam room waiting to see the dr, there was some scuttlebutt out in the hall. Directly across from our exam room was another room, where I watched thru the window as a doctor and social worker pulled a young woman in to tell her that her child was dead. The scream she let loose is something I will never ever forget, and I will also never forget seeing the woman sitting on a bench outside the hospital sobbing when we left, with an empty stroller next to her. I found out she was coming out of a Home Depot in south Austin and the child walked out into the parking lot and was run over by a truck. The driver had to be chased down because he didn’t even know he’d hit anything. Anyway, ever since that experience I’m a total fucking freak when it comes to my kids walking by themselves, especially in busy areas. My 9 year old has always been super responsible and I’ve trusted her since she was 5, although I have never left her alone, mostly because of her younger sister. My 6 year old has the personality of a butterfly and still does not ever look before walking somewhere; I doubt she will be allowed to go anywhere alone until she’s a teenager.
I think it’s ridiculous to arrest a mother for leaving a 10 year old unattended for a short time. A poster above nailed it: 5-12 is when it’s acceptable to start leaving a kid unattended or “free range”, but context should always be considered.