FreeRangeKids

FreeRangeKids

I think this is both an excellent site, and an important one. The concept of 'Helicopter parents' vs. 'Free Range' is, I think, a crucial example of how our society and culture has deteriorated. People complain about the 'Nanny state' and how the government has intruded too much into our lives. Well you get what you deserve. And the hypocrisy is that the people who complain about it are probably the ones who do the most hovering over their kids. One of my favorite things to do along these lines is take the kids to the local mall playground, and then watch the helicopter parents hover, nervously walking back and forth and around the play ground in order to keep an eye on their kid. While I am spending most of my time trying to figure out how I can justify just leaving the boys and wandering into the book store.

One of my goals for this summer is to try and negotiate I kind of Free Range relationship with the neighbors as far as James and Jon Del. Because I think both can be trusted, and are unlikely to lead the other one into doing something bad. And I think letting them feel free to wander back & forth between the 2 houses without having to wait for a parents OK, would be a good thing. I know that as a kid I had a surprising amount of freedom especially when it came to playing with neighbors. And I would like for James to have that as well.