Oops ... DH and I should be in jail.
Not only did we let the kids out unsupervised we also expected them to engage in stoop labor (farming, baling hay,milking cows) and even let the oldest boy drive tractors and equipment down the road starting when he was about 8.
OK ... I did get a little worried when DD was driving tractor (disking) with me for the first time, each on a different tractor. I kept track of when I should see her again coming over the hill ... when I did not I hauled @$$ over the hill to check on her.
She had parked her tractor and disk and was picking up pretty rocks. :)
That’s a good memory.
Another bad thing we do — allow the kids to shoot rifles and shotguns unsupervised. We had rabbit stew on Thanksgiving from rabbits our oldest boy shot and dressed.
I’m glad we have been able to raise them like this. A lot of parents are not so blessed.
My parents’ only real rule for me to remember was to remain away from water and handling fire unsupervised, otherwise, play away. What’s funny is that the danger of a kid drowning nowadays is pretty high up there, in fact, it’s statistically more dangerous to have a below ground pool with only a fence around it near your home than it is to have a gun in your home, from a child safety standpoint.
Who is DH?