July 4, 2022

July 4, 2022

What Exactly IS Free-Range Parenting?

Every parent has their own style of parenting, whether it’s something they’re conscious of or not. And while there’s no one correct way to parent a child, there are definitely some pros and cons to each type of parenting style.

One style that tends to get a lot of both positive and negative attention is free-range parenting. But what is free-range parenting, exactly? What does raising kids free-range mean? And ultimately – is free-range parenting a good idea? Read on to find out the answer to these questions and more!

What Is Free-Range Parenting?
The term “free-range parenting” is a buzzword for sure, but what is it exactly? To sum it up, it’s the idea that parents take a step back and let their children explore the world on their own terms, without constantly hovering nearby.

People who put free-range parenting into practice often think of their own childhoods and how they were allowed to run around with their friends until it was dark outside, riding their bikes and maybe even stomping in a few creeks in the woods.

While there’s no one way to do free-range parenting, a lot of the examples you’ve likely heard of are the extreme ones. However, the main focus of free-range parenting, as well as its ultimate goal, is to provide children with freedom from which they can grow and learn.

The Pros and Cons of Free-Range Parenting
There are several pros and cons to free-range parenting, just as there are with any other style. The pros of this approach to parenting children include:

  • Increased self-sufficiency and confidence. There are moments in a child’s life that they will look back on as pivotal in the future – and it’s likely that a parent will be nowhere in the picture for that memory, because it was something they navigated on their own. Free-range parenting gives kids the opportunity to create and learn on their own, something that really helps to build confidence in and reliance on themselves. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics thinks it’s vital to a child’s development to let them make their own choices and decisions, and free-range parenting gives kids ample opportunity to do that.
  • Active play. A lot of kids don’t move enough throughout the course of the day. Free-range parenting often leads to children participating in more active play. Many parents who follow this parenting style encourage kids to get outside and explore the world on their own, which is healthy for them both physically and mentally.
  • Increased social skills. How does free-range parenting improve social skills? It forces a child to engage and work through their social worlds without a parent’s help. In this respect, free-range parenting not only helps a child be more social, but also helps them learn to resolve conflicts and solve problems on their own – a great skill they will benefit from for their whole lives.

Of course, there are some cons to free-range parenting too. These include:

  • Rise in risk. The reason that some parents have chosen not to free-range parent their children is that bad things do happen when children aren’t properly supervised. While statistically the risk of children being harmed hasn’t really gone up in the last 20 years, it’s still understandable that parents worry something will happen to them, leading to a decision to keep children closer in order to keep them safer.
  • Being reported. People have a lot of opinions about how other people parent, and for some, there’s a fine line between free-range parenting and neglect. Sometimes Child Protective Services will investigate if there are concerns a child isn’t being properly supervised. That’s why it’s vital that you work within the laws of your state. Know what is expected of you as a parent and make sure that you stay within the expectations of the law.
  • You can’t count on others. Have you heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, today there are far fewer villages than there were 20 years ago. Before, you may have been able to count on other parents stepping in and helping to resolve issues that needed adult intervention if you weren’t there, but today that’s no longer a guarantee. This increases the risk of both factors mentioned above and is a definite negative aspect of free-range parenting in the 2020s.

Can Free-Range Parenting Still Work?
When you get down to it, the world is a much different place than it was a couple of decades ago. That’s not because it’s inherently more dangerous, but because we often simply perceive it as a much more dangerous place. That can make it very challenging to put free-range parenting into practice.

However, if you find that you want to explore more free-range parenting ideas, you simply have to make a few adjustments that require a little bit of common sense. You don’t have to take an all-or-nothing approach. There may be certain circumstances that call for a more free-range attitude, and others where parents should stick closer by. There’s no right way to do it, either. If there’s something that makes you uncomfortable to do as a parent, then simply don’t do it.

Parenting is hard, and as previously mentioned, everybody’s approach is different. As long as you’re focused on raising independent, thoughtful, and strong children, then you’re doing it right – free-range or not!

Featured image by James Wheeler on Unsplash