EdLines: Kid in a pet shop

There is a pet shop owner in Kamo I feel I owe an explanation to.
My son experienced a coming of age this week. But became sidetracked for a while.
He ended up in a Kamo pet shop, without his parents, for what may have been 40 minutes to an hour. He wasn't exactly alone - he did have another very pleasant 8-year-old with him.
 My wife and I don't normally let our kids roam the streets. It's something we've discussed at length - when is the right age to let your kids loose on their bikes and skateboards?
I grew up on the mean streets of Kamo, and when I was 8, I knew every inch of Kamo intimately, because I had walked or ridden it. Since I was 6.
I knew the best spot to find koura (freshwater crayfish), or tuna (eels), where the old swimming baths were, how to shortcut through the "Old Folks home" without terrifying the residents, where the old Kamo mining tunnels are, where there is an old half buried steam engine, the best place to find leather cricket balls behind the nets at "The Rec" - pretty much all a boy back then needed to know.
I was let loose because there was a sense of community that allowed our parents to feel safe that, if we needed help, we knew where to go - to the homes of our friends, to their parents.
Over time though, it seems we've lost the confidence to let our kids be independent, mainly out of fear of them being run over by a boy racer, or abducted by some crazed fiend at 12 in the afternoon.
Privately, we relented, given these fears were mostly in our heads. Publicly, our son wasn't aware of this change in stance until this week when his Mum agreed it was okay for our son and his friend to walk 15 minutes to Kamo Primary, to "have some kicks".
So off he went, with his rugby ball, kicking tee, his mate - who we'll call "Mate D" for the purpose of this article - and some food and drink. And a cellphone that was to be used to arrange a time for his mother to collect him.
Somewhere along the way, the meeting place got moved to the carpark behind the pet shop in Kamo. What wasn't made clear, was that the two boys had decided to head to the spot early and spend some time in the pet shop.
They inspected the fish tanks and discovered a fish that had expired due to natural causes, as happens sometimes.
 But to two eight-year-olds, discovering a dead fish is, well, it was just about the coolest thing that had happened in the holidays.
Ensconced in what was fast becoming their "happy place", the boys duly informed one of the staff, who thanked them and removed the dead fish.
They also made themselves known to the staff on another couple of occasions, offering helpful advice and insights into various things in the shop. Having considered that their goodwill was of some monetary value, my son apparently asked one of the staff if they could have something free, in exchange for their deeds
Mate D reckons "the lady" didn't hear the request. I don't blame her - I doubt I would have heard her either.
 Well, I applaud initiative, but it's been made clear that if the game plan changes, the whole team needs to know. Short term, call me on 021 892 399 if you spot any lone 8-year-olds wandering about Kamo. Odds are he might be mine.