Round 3: Free-Range Parenting Revisited

Remember our group chat from early in February where we asked, "How Free Should We Be to Let Our Kids Be Free"? (It was Episode 55, if you want to go back and listen and refresh your memory.) Terri, Catherine, Amanda, and Nicole were somewhat taken aback by a free-range-war-inciting article on the topic in Slate and wondered whether the parents could have handled this a different way. Our friend Kathy Ceceri, who writes about homeschooling on the All About Homeschooling Facebook page and her site Crafts for Learning, listened in and had some different opinions, so we thought we'd take some Round 3 time for a responsible opposing viewpoint. We talked about how parents can broaden the standards of their community, be leaders rather than reactors, and engage in civil disobedience in a way that upholds our values but doesn't cause trauma to our kids. For some additional thoughts on the subject, Kathy recommends a recent New York Times article that makes "The Case for Free-Range Parenting." 

Where do you stand on free-range parenting? Add your opinion in the comments. And if you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, please come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.