[orthodoc]

I think you've got the wrong vibe, grav. I used a harness with my 2-year old very agile toddler when I had to fly south from the arctic at 36 weeks pregnant, without another adult to help (he was still taking call in the arctic). People recoiled in horror in the airports, but there's no way I could have run my sweet toddler down when I was practically giving birth on the spot. (Or maybe they were recoiling in horror at the sight of me; it being Canada, that was probable.)

I'm Brit by heritage and upbringing, and the use of wrist leashes/harnesses/whatever keeps your child from running under the wheels of a truck tends to be regarded as responsible. Or was regarded as such, back in the day.

My parents let me take the city bus by myself at 10 years old; my best friend's mother was horrified. I was always far more independent than my friend. Different cultures, different styles. Of course, I think the environment in which a family actually lives trumps culture. If it's not safe, you can't let your kids do what you would've allowed 'back home'.