When Do You Let Your Kids Out To Play?

So being a new mom, I am sort of learning as I go and have become a pro at other things.  Since having the boys, life has certainly had it’s twists and turns.  I often times wonder what I did with my time before they were born because it seems like my days are blur.   No two days are alike, and there are some days like today, where I just wanted to cry.

I think outdoor play is so important and  with the weather getting nicer, we love to be outside as a family.  The boys simply adore walking on the path out back, playing in the sandbox, and just being outdoors.  I love it because they can burn off all that boy energy that they seem to have.  My husband and I were discussing when we should be able to let the boys to play outside on their own.  I feel compelled to watch their every move because they are only 2.5 yrs old and since I have two of them, someone is always doing or getting into something they shouldn’t.  I see some kids in the neighborhood that are just out playing, and I wonder where their parents are.  I simply don’t feel comfortable with letting them out without me or my husband with them.  They just seem so not ready to be out playing alone and I don’t intend on letting them for a long time yet.  So when do you let them out to play without watching their every move?  It just seems scary to me, especially in this crazy world.  I am a bit taken back by how young the kids I see playing alone, walking down the sidewalk with no parents in site.  My two are just babies to me.  Am I just being paranoid?