Dear DebbiW,

I’m writing this out of utter confusion and with respectful interest in finding out more. I don’t understand the part of  "he’s reaching the age where some of the limits are catching up?" this is the internet and maybe there is more to this but you wrote about "forget the out of town events that are coming up in 5th grade?" I’m like huh?

I have great memories of 5th grade and staying overnight @ Greenfield Village in Dearborn. Mom didn’t go had to work. When I was ten, I would walk alone or w/ other kids three miles around the lack to the general store to get candy. I would ice skate across out huge lack w/ another kid or alone. When I was 11 - I went down the road and asked a neighbor if I could walk her two golden retreivers thus had a little dog walking business. I walked those dogs together too. Went to horse camp during the winter and slept in a sleeping bag on a couple of hay bales. Liked it because was next to all the foals and fillys. Played duck duck goose on horse back in an in- door arena. My Mom was happy that I was having fun....she had to work and wouldn’t of went there anyway because she didn’t like the smell of the horse barn. During 8th to 10th grade would spend the weekends overnight @ horse show grounds without parents sometimes they would stop by and watch the class I was in and then go. When I didn’t show, I would spend a Saturday away being the groom for one of the older ladies and pick up some cash. It was a lot more fun than baby sitting that I did also : ) I would drive to the barn from school and I would ride my horse for hours in the woods sometimes alone or with another girl and we would rip ride.

I’ve talked with others w/SW CAH and one lady - my soul sister told me about some wild and crazy stuff she did as a teen minus the parents also. Her career is something each and everyone of you parents would be proud of.....she’s a doctor. 

All parents are different : ) and what works for your situation is of course correct but I didn’t want all the parents to think that each child needed this supervision unless they really do : ) each case is different.

I remember not to long ago a guy with SWCAH posted - He’s a football player @ OSU and was planning marriage.  

I wrote because I’m trying to think as a parent- Maybe someday I’ll be a foster mother. I would be very leary of anything to do with the Internet and children - to many stories out there ...scary- You would have to watch them like a hawk and then some and then you do have CAH thrown in. CARESFOUNDATION w/ Kelly Leight has those picnics and meeting that are also geared for kids would you be interested in that?

Respectfully,

Aimee