Posted by Alexander Forbes on April 08, 2014 at 14:26:23 user Pitsligo.
It has been a while, but I recall several posts in the past about whether S&A-ish adventures are worthwhile, or even possible any more. I remember a couple people horrified at the idea of such non-supervision, while others, like myself, felt that the benefits far outweighed the risks. This was an easy argument for me: my father lived by the motto of "Better Drowned, etc.", and in that atmosphere I survived growing up on a small island off the coast of Maine and sailing small boats, was turned loose to learn about horses at the Lake Tahoe dude corral where my mother worked, and was generally let to run wild --and I don't have kids. However, despite my not being a parent, I still hold that allowing kids a good measure of risk is very worthwhile. In the vein of that argument, and in favor of AR's illustration of independance, I recommend this article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/