Our three year old is about to turn four, and is bursting with a desire for independence. She's becoming more capable in all sorts of ways, and wants me to back off and let her do things. Today she wanted to go to the park by herself.

Now, we live close to the park, she could probably get there and back on her own, and I'm on the "kids can generally do things pretty young" end of the spectrum, but still, she's not even four yet. And while age is useful guide, she also can't safely cross streets, doesn't know my phone number, can't reliably use a walkie-talkie or watch phone, or handle enough of the range of unusual situations she might encounter at the park.

Still, this didn't mean saying no. Instead, I started by asking what she would do about the street. She asked [...]

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First published:
June 7th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wkLFDLqfeGxhiHayR/solo-park-play-at-three

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Child in white shirt and pink pants stretching at outdoor playground equipment.

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“Solo Park Play at Three” by jefftk

LessWrong (30+ Karma)