This afternoon my eleven year old son walked home from school with his mates without any parental supervision for the first time.
I was only moderately terrified.
This does of course offer a sharp contrast with my latchkey childhood, but then again, I grew up in the woods. There were no speeding taxi cabs to worry about!
While he was off gallivanting I had to reluctantly turn down a much-needed, totally free, completely awesome trip to NYC to hang out with KTS, Ana Erotica, Ayun, Jess, and all the other fine friends who reside in that metropolis.
Why?
Because the dates conflict with the school fete. And the Year Six Leaver’s Disco. And, most critically, secondary school induction.
Parenting gets easier in some ways as children grow up but also more complicated – if slightly less messy.