I let my 8-year-old walk to school alone and taught her to cook at 7. I want her to be independent, like I was growing up.

The author lets his daughter walk to school on her own. Courtesy of José R. Mendoza I grew up in El Salvador, where I was given freedom at a young age. Now that I'm raising my kids in the US, I want them to have independence, too. I let my 8-year-old walk to school alone, and I taught her to cook at 7. Growing up in El Salvador, my parents taught me to be independent from an early age. When I was about 6 years old, I would go pick up small items at la tiendita (the corner store) or grab som...