Karyann Parkinson has left parents divided after being placed on the child abuse and neglect register for allowing her son, 5, to walk to a nature spot on his own from their home in Virginia

"We just expected that as soon as this gets in front of a prosecutor actually looking at it and a judge, this is all gonna go away," Karyann Parkinson said.

How young is too young to let a child walk alone? A Virginia mom’s conviction is reigniting the debate over free-range parenting.