I think starting to learn some independence at that age is generally good. I used to walk home or bus home by myself at 10 as well. One thing that probably made my parents less nervous was that my best friend lived just across the street and I don't think her mom worked at that point. I was welcome over there pretty much whenever I wanted. I was also generally a nervous and well-behaved kid, so that probably made it less scary for my parents as well.