Raising Independents
All I could think when I read this wonderful article by Lenore Skenazy titled “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” was, “Thank god I’m not the only one who refuses to surround my kids with bubble wrap!”
As we make the transition to living in a small town, versus Chicago, I’m finding myself thinking more and more about the kinds of things I was able to do when I was a kid living in a small town. Riding my bike all over town, nary a cell phone in sight, going door to door with school fundraisers, and occasionally a rake in the fall for extra cash, playing in the woods, spending hours at the library. The only real rule was to come home when the streetlights came on.
There were some scrapes I got myself into, sure, but nothing really dangerous. And I’d like my kids to learn the same kind of independence that I got to practice then.
Has the world gotten more dangerous, or are parents just more paranoid thanks to cable news and the like? And how much of this paranoia also stems from the fear of being judged by other parents for not being careful enough?
I see an odd dichotomy with this, too — parents are terrified to let their kids out of their sight, but don’t bat an eye at overly violent movies, video games and television. Seems to me that the common priorities are way out of whack. I’d rather my kids play outside all afternoon than spend that time in front of the television.
Comment by h sofia
April 12, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I don’t think things are more dangerous “these days.”