A Parent's Dilemma

Our 14-year-old daughter is house sitting for the neighbors. Twice a day she goes over there to take care of pets, water plants, and generally check on things. Their house is about 1 1/2 miles from ours. We live in what is considered a 'good' area. It is out in the country, and the road between our place and theirs is lightly traveled.

My wife or I usually drive her when she goes. This morning she announced that she wanted to jog there and back. I let her go, making sure she had her cell phone. She's a black belt in karate, and has had all the usual warnings about what to look out for, how to escape and evade, etc. But still I am worried. I actually thought about grabbing my .45 and trailing her, just in case (and totally overlooking the fact that she'd be out of sight within 500 yards).

So the dilemma is this. Kids need the opportunity to spread their wings - to grow and develop on their own, building independence, self-reliance, self-confidence, and all those other life skills that are becoming increasingly rare in this country. At the same time, there is evil out there. It only takes one moment of carelessness or inattention for a tragedy to occur. So am I being overly protective and overly concerned about her, or is this an essential step in her maturing?

And how the hell am I going to handle things when she starts dating...?

UPDATE: She got home okay. Still doesn't resolve my dilemma: much ado about nothing, or justified concern?

As for dating, below is a poster I have on the wall next to the garage door leading into the house. I think it gets the point across. (Click to embiggen.)