>Yes, I know, but weighing the two evils of that vs what might happen to her in a place like Toronto, I'd opt for the first. I know that 12 is the new 15, but I guess I'm too much of a worrier.

FWIW, I think 12-year-olds today have far less personal freedom than they did when we were growing up. At 12, I'd get on my bike and ride a mile or so to the 7-11 for a Slurpee. At 9 or 10, I took the bus to the Y for swimming lessons. And I didn't grow up in a small town; I grew up in Philadelphia, albeit in a nice, middle-class neighborhood.

I read an article recently about people trying to raise "free range children," kids who are allowed to go outside without supervision. Kids (at least middle-class and upper-class kids) today are mostly terribly overprotected.

Tamar