"... I have come across some versions where the Wolf doesn't eat either of them. Response to parents being concerned the tale is too gruesome, but Red Riding Hood isn't the worst by a long shot."

So, it was his decision. But more or less, they didn't have to adhere strictly to the version where his stomach might be cut open, filled with stone, and then have him drown in a river either. She walked after him - not too close, but not too far.