S/o Free range vs helicopter and everything in between

behappy2

Wed, Oct 21 2020, 6:17 pm

How about we actually have a conversation about the philosophies of either side.

My take is that although I'm awed by free range parenting I would never do it. That said I try not to hover. I am big on giving kids independence, but only if it is earned. So for example, I let my 4 year old play in front of the house but only bec she doesn't cross without permission. I let my ten year old ride his bike a few blocks away but only bec he wears his helmet and follows safety rules.

LittleDucky

Wed, Oct 21 2020, 10:58 pm

The answer to all of these kinds of questions is to have a balance, IMO. Take the good from each one but don't go to an extreme. I like Free Range but I don't let my 3 year old play in the front by him/herself. free range says to do it at your child's level and based off their abilities. Different kids can tackle a city bus, for instance, safely at different ages. But people may take the idea about "teaching your kids to be independent" too far and that could be dangerous. Or letting your kid "drown in work" because that way they can learn from their mistakes. On the other hand, snow plowing parents remove all obstacles from their kid. Which might be needed in some cases but removes incentives for your kid to grow and challenge themselves. Helicopters prevent accidents but also can increase anxiety because "everything isn't safe (as evidenced by mom hovering)."
Laid back parents teach kids to move with the flow, but they also can miss out on things.

Knowing when to tap into each of these roles is the key. Has anyone found mine? I am still figuring this out. And covid has only made my doubting worse. When can I let them do X? Is it safe? I don't want to helicopter but I also don't want them to lick everyone else's lollipops.

behappy2

Thu, Oct 22 2020, 5:19 am

GLUE wrote:

For Parenting:
Free Range
Helicopter
Light House
Snow Plow
Lazy
Gritty

For Moms:
Tiger
Dolphin
Jellyfish
Unicorn
Gritty

Every time I Google it, more show up have "fun" figuring out your parenting style there is one for everyone

I just learned something new. That's a nice long list!

What about the basics? Permissive, authoritative, authoritarian, uninvolved

Stars

Thu, Oct 22 2020, 5:32 am

LittleDucky wrote:

The answer to your last question is you need to teach your kids certain things even though u choose to be free range or whatever. That’s you’re responsibility as a mom.
Read this and the first sentence of the caption
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG.....b876p