I agree Michelle. There are a lot more cars on the road these days and not all drivers are as careful as they should be.

I would also point out that kids do go missing occasionally. Nowadays this means a lot of publicity and I think that is one of the reasons that parents tend not to let kids out alone, even at nine. One might say that this is a rare occurrence but, if it is your beloved chick, how much of a risk would you take?

Little ones can wander off - they have no real sense of the danger that might be around. I'm sure that the parents of these children feel happier that their kids are being protected. Can you imagine being the teacher responsible for a kiddie who disappears from a group because there are insufficient safeguards and not enough adults to control them?

When my children were quite young we did not have a garden - they played on the open greens around the flats we lived in. Besides trying to teach them road safety I also explained the 'stranger danger' to them. I am glad that I did when my beautiful blonde haired blue eyed nine year old daughter was beckoned to by a man in a car. My clever little kid took off in the other direction!

Better to wrap the kids in cotton wool a bit longer than lose them forever.