Community Corner
Having Free-Range Kids is Okay
When should a parent let go of the reins and let their kids play free?
This afternoon my kids weren't in a class, inside playing games or upstairs reading books.
They were (gasp) PLAYING OUTSIDE. By themselves. Without me. Yup, I have free-range kids. Typically "Free-range" is described as "anything that is uncaged and have some degree of access to the outdoors." That would pretty much describe my children.
I live in a safe and lively neighborhood. On our street of 27 houses we have 18 kids under 6-years of age and a whopping total of 28 kids under 13. (And two babies on the way.) On any given non-rainy day you can hear the noise of kids reverberating through the cul-de-sac. The sounds of small packs of kids thundering down the street, a bouncing basketball, loud clackety skateboards, the whir of bicycle wheels and happy, giggly, play... It's wonderful music. And seemingly rare in most neighborhoods these days.
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Moms in other neighborhoods, urban and suburban, tell me that their communities are in a kind of lock-down mode. Parents are afraid of their children getting snatched, molested or just plain bullied so the kids are under constant supervision and the parents are living in constant fear. Parents don't let their kids walk to school (even with friends), play in their own yards or run down the street to a buddy's home. They don't let their kids experience any real independence that might allow them to grow their self-confidence and know that they can do something (anything) on their own. Everyone is just too scared. I just can't live that way.
Please understand that despite my propensity to let my kids run free I have moments of paranoia and fear. I would lose my mind if something happened to them but I refuse to be guided by what "might" happen. Instead of choosing fear I choose freedom and educate by example. I've taught them how to take care of themselves, what (and who) to avoid and how to find help. They are cautious but carefree. I teach them to be careful but also do my best to foster independence so that one day they might raise free-range kids too.
