Heather Mayer Irvine allows her 8-year-old son to ride his bicycle freely around the neighborhood without parental supervision. Now nearing 9 years old, the son knows the boundaries of where he can ride, specifically avoiding the two major roads that encircle the neighborhood.

In his initial outings, the son carried a walkie-talkie with a range of roughly half a mile to check in with his parents, reporting his location and companions. Irvine and her husband helped pave the way for neighborhood families to allow their 8- and 9-year-olds to bike unaccompanied to play at each other's houses, go to the park, or ride around the neighborhood.

"In a world of helicopter parents and constant micromanaging, this was the biggest gift we could give our son and ourselves," Irvine said. When asked about concerns, she said, "About being abducted? No. About distracted drivers? Yes."

The practice began when Irvine first left her son home alone at age 5 for less than an hour while she and her husband walked to a farmstand with their daughters. When home alone at that age, he built a fort in the playroom, stocked it with books, and used a laptop to text or call 911 in an emergency. When the parents returned home with a stroller full of fresh peaches, the son had stayed home alone, followed the rules, and taken care of himself.

Irvine has two additional children aged 6 and 3.5 years old. Her middle child, aged 6, runs short errands to neighbors' houses on a bicycle in trips that take no more than 90 seconds, delivering items such as cookies or a borrowed tote on the neighbors' front steps. The 6-year-old rides through neighbors' driveways, waves to neighbors, and pets dogs in the neighborhood.

Over the past six months, there has been a constant stream of children in the neighborhood knocking on doors to play after school and on weekends.