Depends on the environment, and parental values.

When my children were young, as long as they were together and wearing their life jackets, I figured they were safe. They'd come home when they were hungry.

Try transferring that peace of mind for a life in the city when they were five and ten. My eldest was very cautious. My youngest went wild. It was like going to the carnival every day. I was a wreck!

There are stages. Most of the stages were set by where we lived. My kids had to adjust to different expectations many times at many different ages.

At fifteen, my daughter went 'out' and slammed the door when I asked her where she was going. I chased her until she boarded a bus. I went back and got the car and overtook the bus, parked and ran to the bustop. I boarded the bus. When I attempted to order her off the bus, she convinced the bus driver that I was a crazy woman she didn't know. I was told to get off the bus!

At that point, it no longer matters what your rules, are.

You teach them all of your values and then they go out and try them out in society. When they find out that some of your values are no longer relevant with their peers, they question the truth of what they have been taught. Open defiance is very, very scary.

If you have a God or Goddess, you pray.

When she finally got home (very late), I handed her the keys. The 'power struggle was killing me.' I told her I loved her and that I would never throw her out on the street.

Within two weeks, she was back home and has been a very serious student for almost 15 years. She is well on her way to becoming either an architect or a university professor.

Just remember, the wild ones have the most potential. The trick is keeping them alive and out of jail.