William Pitt Riddell Confederate Records found on Footnote!

I was thrilled when I discovered that Footnote.com had digitized the Confederate records of William Pitt Riddell. He was the chief surgeon at the hospital at Houston Texas during the Civil War. He was captured and had to promise not to associate with the Confederates in New Orleans where he taught Chemistry at Louisiana State University. His brother John Leonard Riddell was the postmaster and Chemistry professor at Tulane University. William and John Leonard had another brother who was also a doctor: George Riddell who resided in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. George is my direct ancestral line.

Is it Safe to Let Our Kids Play Outside?

I have been struggling with this issue. As a mom I want to let my child experience some freedom yet I live in a urban setting and am unwilling to let him venture out alone. The rental population is transient and constantly shifting. In an apartment setting you may not know all your neighbors and door-to-door sales people are abundant. We have had car break ins and mine was stolen a few year back.

When I was a kid in Racine, WI. My cousins and I would walk down the street to the local dimestore and get candy. It was a small town and everyone always looked out for each other. My grandparents lived in the area for over 40 years.

It is rather unsettling that we no longer feel safe in our own neighborhoods. How many of you parents let your kids go out an play without directly supervision?
Do you think there is more crime or we hear about it faster because of the influence of TV and the Internet? How do you judge when they are old enough to go outside and play alone?