Tag Archives: free range kids

Idaho Lawmaker Introduced Free-Range Parenting Bill

Those of us who are part of Generation X remember walking to and from school, and riding a bike around the neighborhood, by ourselves. Today, some parents want to raise their kids the way they were raised – with plenty of freedom to explore and make their own decisions. Unfortunately, this can get parents into legal trouble when other parents report them for neglect. Representative Ron Nate, an Idaho State Republican, has written a bill that would protect parents who want to give their children less supervision. It is called the Reasonable Childhood Independence Act. “The intent of this is … Continue reading →

Free Range Parents Cleared of Neglect Charge

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It can be extremely frustrating to have someone criticize your choice of parenting style. Imagine how scary it would be to have the police tell you that your parenting style is considered to be a form of neglect. This situation happened to parents in Maryland – who have since been cleared of child neglect charges. It all started with a trip to the local park in December of 2014. Parents Alexander and Danielle Meitiv allowed their son and daughter to go to the park, and walk home, by themselves. Their son, Rafi, was 10 years old, and their daughter, Dvora, … Continue reading →

Calling Home

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Today we played outside. Ok, I don’t quite tell the truth there. Today my daughter played outside for hours while I cleaned the kitchen. I love it that she can play outside with other children in a safe environment. It’s such a privilege to have this open space, and it is a delight to have other children around to play with. I especially like the fact that all of the parents keep an eye out for the children. I don’t want to wax rhapsodic about our outdoor play space again, however. What is just as important as the connection of … Continue reading →

Risks Are Good

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Tonight we biked around the neighborhood. When I say we, I really mean my daughter, since I was madly running after the bike. The neighbors looked out of their windows and watched us as we went weaving down the streets of our townhouse complex. My daughter was a little perplexed. “Why are they all so excited?” she asked. I explained that to many of us, riding a bike was a big deal, like a car for kids. It meant freedom for us as kids. My daughter is not a risk-taker. Actually, I suspect that I was a similar sort of … Continue reading →

No Free-Range Kids for Me?

You may have heard the term, “Free-Range Kids.” Author Lenore Skenazy has written a book about this topic. I admit that I haven’t read this book, so I can’t review it directly, but I know several parents who have. One thing about the book and the whole “Free-Range Kids” idea is that it is definitely controversial. Skenazy’s website gives a bit of detail about her thoughts and advice. Basically, she advocates for allowing kids more freedom from parents, such as allowing a child to walk alone to school or ride a bus alone. She calls it, “sane parenting.” Here is … Continue reading →