Moms Talk Q&A: Keeping Kids Safe Outdoors

Do you ever walk in the woods alone? I do. 

I find these walks refreshing. They clear my head and the glaze from my eyes after too many hours in front of the computer. 

But some people tell me that I shouldn't go for these occasional rambles on secluded trails alone. They have good, albeit anecdotal, evidence to back up their claim. 

For instance, a 14-year-old girl was walking on a trail in Centreville when she heard a whistle. She turned around and saw a man masturbating. 

In November, a group of students were enjoying a walk on a trail in Burke, when a strange man came out of the woods and . He chased them all the way to a residential area, giving them, I am sure, the scare of their lives. 

Those types of incidents are a parent's nightmare. It doesn't matter how old your kids are. I'm in my mid-twenties and my mother still worries about me traveling and hiking alone. A lot people don't think it's a good idea to walk on a trail alone, no matter what your age.

Maybe I've ingested too much Thoreau, but I see these solitary rambles as a need, not an optional exercise. I take precautions to protect myself from perverts, though. I tell people where I'm going and when I'll be back. I carry my cell phone. I've also taken self-defense courses in the past. Last but not least, I carry a small can of spray, keeping it within easy reach at all times. While these measures don't guarantee my safety, they do give me a fighting chance. And when I think about the number of people who send text messages or surf the internet while they drive—well, I'm probably safer in the woods, anyway. 

I might not, however, let my teenage daughter do the same (if I had one). I don't know. Maybe it's one of those things you figure out once you're there. 

So parents, what do you think? At what age do you let your kids ride their bikes or walk around the neighborhood alone? How about going to the playground? Do you let them go on trails if they're with a group of friends? Would you let a teenager walk alone?