Would you let your 7 yo play outside by himself without watching him?

My son is 7.5 and I like for him to get out and play with the other kids and while I don't want to embarrass him by watching him... I always am scared someone will snatch him or something...

We live in an apartment complex in aurora, CO and it's pretty safe... but I guess you never know...

Would you let your 7 yo play outside by himself without watching him?aurora

I agree with you. Go with your instincts. If you don't feel right about letting him go somewhere with older kids you don't know, then simply don't do it. YOU know best. You are right about strangers and the people going in and out of the complex. What I have found is that if I follow my feelings, it shifts as they get older. I just think it's intuition. It's going to be better to listen to that than your mind. Good job and I am a stand for your feelings.

Would you let your 7 yo play outside by himself without watching him?download

Depends on the likelihood of strangers wandering through. We live in a cul-de-sac and the kids often play outside unattended. They HAVE to check with us before going into someone else's house, though.
I think you found the right balance. I let my 6- and 8-year-olds play in my yard, or in the neighbors' yards if they're with a neighbor. I let them bike in the cul-de-sac behind my house if they're together. All the places they play are in view of my windows, or, if they're temporarily blocked by the one house between mine and part of the cul-de-sac, they're still in earshot (and i keep a window open when they're out). I would not let them cross streets other than the cul-de-sac, nor would I let them go to the park without me. But I wouldn't keep them from going: I would go with them and remain fairly unobtrusive.