The essay discusses about free-range kids and the importance it has on the lives of the children. The belief at free-range kids is that parents need to be best judges about the requirements of the kids. The essay provides an argument about the importance of free-range kids and the psychological effect it has on the mentality of the children. The argument of the essay is focused in favour of the free-range kids and the manner in which parents need to take in the best interest of the children for them to move forward. At the same time, certain laws related to free-range kids are also provided that can help in maintaining legal relationships between the kids as well as the parents.
It has been seen that most of the parents are attached to the children and because of it becoming overprotective of them (Jakubowski). The application of the free-range kids’ movement can help in bringing about freedom for the children and ensure that the parents do not control the lives. The reason for being in favour of free-range kids is that the movement helps children to be confident and at the same time ensure that children requiring constant assistance are encouraged to undertake activities by their own self. The fact that these children are provided with an opportunity to grow and develop in the competitive world, provides the concept of free-range kids with an additional favour point from the people (Loebach and Gilliland).
The movement was started as an attempt to let the parents know about the manner in which kids can be provided with the freedom. At the same time, free movement criticises the modern trend of parents being overprotective of the children and hence, supervising them at regular times (Kyttä et al). However, one of the necessary things that need to be taken into consideration is the fact that these kids along with the parents need to understand the situation in which the free-range kid’s concept can be applied. In this regard, an example can be provided that highlights the irresponsible application of the free-range kids’ concept.
It has been seen that a 9-year kid had been left to travel in a subway alone by the mom after equipping him with tools required for travel (Hphpcentral.com). The free-range movement aims to eradicate such problems that cause the critics of the movement. Most of the parents remain afraid to allow television privileges to the children in the fear that they may be scared seeing scenes of children being kidnapped or abducted. However, one of the points that can be argued upon is the fact that protection provided to the children may differ in perception from one parent to another. It has been observed that while one person perceives the supervision of kids as overprotective, the others find it extremely normal. (huffingtonpost. com).
Hence, it is necessary that the specifics of a particular situation be considered while ensuring that child protection is undertaken. At the same time, the correct age at which the children can be left alone is also determined. In this case, the role of the free-range kids is pivotal as it provides support to children of all ages believing that growth and development among the children can be brought about by considering their happiness and encouraging the children to perform the correct activity. Thereby the style of parenting that can help in the growth can be determined by taking into consideration the role played by the children in the society (Pimentel). Hence, free-range kids allow the kids to remain self-sufficient and to help them encounter frustration and unpleasantness while they remain young.
In this regard, laws can be placed that can help in guiding the people about the amount of time required for the kids to be left unsupervised. At the current stage, laws relating to childcare exists which are different in the each of the states in the US. For example, in Alabama, Ala Code 13A-11-290 provides the notion that, children under the age of 7 needs to be attended while inside a vehicle. At the same time, in Illinois, it is stated under 750 III. Comp Stat. 405/2-3 children below the age of 14 years cannot be kept unattended an extended time (Freerangekids.com). These laws suggest while implementing the free-range kids’ concept is effective, it is necessary that the laws be followed in every state so that relationship parents and kids exist.
However, it is seen that free-range kids and Parents Bill of Rights need to be the law of the land for the success of the freedom of the children (Vota). The law states that kids have the right to spend time unsupervised and along with it, the parents have the right to let them have time alone. Despite the debate of the correct age required for relinquishing supervision, the free-range kids’ movement provide an opportunity to try to combat the laws and ensure that harmonious relationship between the children as well as the parents exist. However, the drawback is that the legal applications do not have the rules and guidelines necessary for success in the society (Npr.org).
The advantage of free kids is that children can roam about without any extra stress. The playtime of the children may increase and at the same time, the manner in which the children can interact with one another can help in the growth and development of the children. Play along with learning is an important part for the development of kids (Joyce). The less supervision of the playtime of the kids is important for the maturity of the growth. The interaction with other kids of same age or older, can help in the development of a sense of responsibility and perhaps a traumatic experience at an early age. Although a traumatised experience at a tender, age may sometimes be a hindrance to the growth of the kid, proper self-responsibility of the kid can help them to remain positive about a proper growth.
At the same time, the nature of playful activity that is undertaken by the children is also a cause of concern for the parents. The games undertaken need to be free from any type of physical contact and must not provide any psychological trauma. The parents cannot control these things and it is the responsibility of the kids to ensure that they do not experience such dilemmas. The application of the free-range help in the development of sense among the kids and at the same time ensures that they can think on their feet and be confident about the decision undertaken. Therefore, it can be said that free-range helps directly in the development of a competitive spirit among the children.
Conclusion
In this regard, it can be said that free-range kids is a concept that need to be applied only after careful consideration of the laws that are associated with parenting. The application of Parents Bill of Rights needs to be implemented so that parents can take care of the kids with enough time for the kids to remain without being supervised. However, one drawback of the bill remains about the appropriate application of the law. The correct age at which children can be left without any supervision still remains a topic that need to be debated upon. At the same time, the application of the free-range kids’ movement provides kids with a confidence to grow and the happiness of the kids be restored as the freedom of the kids can let them continue with their desired work.
References
“‘Free-Range Kids’ And Preparing Children For The World”. Huffpost, 2018, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/freerange-kids-it-depends_b_14635756.html. Accessed 24 Aug 2018.
“Laws | Free Range Kids”. Freerangekids.Com, 2018, https://www.freerangekids.com/laws/. Accessed 24 Aug 2018.
“NPR Choice Page”. Npr.Org, 2018, https://www.npr.org/books/titles/138225565/free-range-kids-giving-our-children-the-freedom-we-had-without-going-nuts-with-w#excerpt. Accessed 24 Aug 2018.
“The Argument For Free Range Kids”. Hphpcentral.Com, 2018, https://www.hphpcentral.com/article/the-argument-for-free-range-kids. Accessed 24 Aug 2018.
Jakubowski, Ellen. “FREE RANGE KIDS.” Alternatives Journal40.4 (2014): 60.
Joyce, Amy. “What exactly is this whole “free-range kid” thing?.” The Washington Post (2015).
Kyttä, Marketta, et al. “The last free-range children? Children’s independent mobility in the 1990s and 2010s.” Journal of transport geography 47 (2015): 1-12.
Loebach, Janet E., and Jason A. Gilliland. “Free range kids? Using GPS-derived activity spaces to examine children’s neighborhood activity and mobility.” Environment and behavior48.3 (2016): 421-453.
Pimentel, David. “Protecting the Free-Range Kid: Recalibrating Parents’ Rights and the Best Interest of the Child.” Cardozo L. Rev. 38 (2016): 1.
Vota, Nicole. “Keeping the Free?Range Parent Immune from Child Neglect: You Cannot Tell Me How to Raise My Children.” Family Court Review 55.1 (2017): 152-167.
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