How Much Freedom Is Your Child Ready For? - 324

As I mentioned, we're going to be talking about how much freedom is my child ready for? You know, when our kids are little, we hold their hand in the parking lot.

We decide where they go, who they're with, and what they're allowed to do.

I mean, they basically make no decisions on their own other than maybe picking out a shirt or a pair of pants that they want to wear.

But we decide all of that.

But what happens when they grow? They want to ride their bike further down the street, not just in front of the house.

They want to stay home alone, walk into a store without you, or go somewhere with friends, get a phone, start driving.

What then? That question is much harder than you think it is because it's an issue of what are they ready for? I recently did a new segment on this and we were talking specifically about children playing outside alone and how much parents can determine what is safe.

But the more I started thinking about it, the more I realized this question is much bigger than just playing outside.

Because one of the most difficult parts of parenting is knowing when to hold on and when to loosen our grip.

That is a tough one.

Why? Well, because we all want to protect our kids.

And that's normal and that's good and that's as it should be.

But we also know our job is not keeping them dependent on us forever.

We are preparing them for adulthood.

I've done many segments on we're not raising children, we're raising future adults.

And that means little by little, we have to give them opportunities to practice making decisions without us.

So instead of asking only, what age should my child be allowed to do whatever said activity is? I want to give you three things to consider.

Range, readiness, and responsibility.

Those three questions can help us make wiser decisions about freedom as our children grow.