Cutting kids some slack Free-range Parenting phenomenon

In India, where there is a tradition of patriarchal, interfering parenting, free-range parenting has come like a fresh breath of air with a rising number of new millennial parents rebelling against anxiety-driven, risk-averse child rearing writes Cynthia John, Mini P. & Khushboo Nehal Jashnani Which parenting style is the best? For new as well as experienced parents, the answer to this question has become more complex and confusing over time, especially in the disruptive Google age. In books, manuals, print and electronic media, Internet, social media and WhatsApp groups, there’s a flood of information and expert viewpoints on the pros and cons of differing parenting styles. Parents are being bombarded with advice on ideal parenting techniques to produce happy, confident and successful children. The most hotly debated are helicopter, authoritative, authoritarian, and free-range parenting. Of them, free-range parenting — defined as “raising children in the spirit of encouraging them to function independently and with limited parental supervision” — has been attracting disproportionate public attention recently because of media reports of a spate of law suits filed against parents practising this parenting style. In the US, parents have been charged with neglect and endangerment for permitting their children to engage in everyday activities — such as walking to school, bicycling in the streets, playing in the park — without adult supervision. This has provoked a backlash against official clampdown by free-range parenting proponents. In 2018, the American State of Utah passed the Free-Range Parenting Bill redefining “neglect” to exclude allowing children “of sufficient age and maturity” to walk or bike to school, engage in outdoor play, remain home unattended, or “engage in similar independent activity.” The term ‘free-range parenting’ was coined by Lenore Skenazy, a US-based former columnist who wrote about letting her nine-year-old son ride the New York subway system unaccompanied — commonplace in Japan, India and other countries. A case of “neglect” was filed against Skenazy with the media dubbing her as “America’s worst mother”. This experience prompted her to write a book Free-Range Kids, Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry (2009). In this book, she enumerates the benefits of parents giving children autonomy with responsibility. Now president of Let Grow, a non-profit organisation promoting childhood independence and autonomy, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, Skenazy stresses that free-range parenting isn’t about parental negligence, but about “allowing children the freedom and the opportunity to be kids”. Here are the main characteristics of free-range parenting: Parents allowing unscheduled activities. Rather than rushing children from violin lessons to soccer practice every day, free-range parents encourage unstructured play. Outdoor play is important. Free-range kids are encouraged to play outdoors, rather than use digital gadgets. Parents want their kids to be able to amuse themselves without technology — whether it’s playing in the garden or building a sand fort. Encouraging independence. Free-range parents allow kids to earn independence, and they’re granted increased freedom and responsibility gradually. The focus is on encouraging children to experiment and accomplish…