I lived on a Air Force bases up till 8th grade and would go all over it looking for fun/trouble and unless I got caught I never had a problem.
I lived in Germany and went all over the city alone or with friends at age 11-14 with not even one problem. The only problems we had were the American kids who loved to start trouble. Us Americans loved to start trouble.. I was no exception to that rule. But still both places were the safest I have ever lived.
For myself even with consequences that I did and did not understand... I would still rather be the over protective parent like I was than a parent that had their child abducted, held for 10+ years like we have seen, sold off or killed.
Oh wait... their is a double standard. I allowed my son to go places alone and to take my daughter with him but she was not allowed to go alone. I trusted him and trusted her to listen to him.
Only had one babysitter and the last. Found out she tried to commit suicide so we figured that it best she not sit our daughter anymore.
I made up for it though by boring them with computers/technology/science, computer games, movies, music, going out to dinners on every special occasion/other. They were fun to be around and made up for it where my wife was boring.
Every hear two kids jamming out jamming out singing to System of a Down / Jet Pilot.... they liked that song. lol