What Is Free Range Parenting?

JAMIE WELLS: Free-range parenting is a movement that came about in response to helicopter parenting.

So helicopter parenting would be when everybody is over-scheduling their child and really not allowing them to breathe and worrying about every possible thing that can possibly go wrong.

I think the problem about why people view different stances of helicopter parenting or free-range parenting as controversial is that people want to think in absolutes, and that's just not the way of life.

It's very important at some points to allow your child to go out on their own, be independent, learn from their own mistakes.

And there are moments where there is true and accurate danger, where it's very important for parents to intervene heavily and avoid a negative outcome for their child.

A good thing about free-range parenting would be not having your child over-scheduled allows them to be innovative, allows them to be imaginative, to occupy their time and not have to be beholden to electronic techniques, classes to entertain themselves, because you need-- and you will thrive in life-- when you have the capacity to enjoy moments even in the stillness.

That's very important to your mental health and well-being.

It's very important to know that this one child should not be raised exactly the same as this sibling of that child.

People are individuals.

It's not a robot-existence childhood, and it shouldn't be.

And we shouldn't be wanting to raise drones.

We should be wanting to raise expressive kids who are going to be innovators, who are going to change the world in better ways.

And stripping them of this creativity is not going to benefit themselves, nor will it ever benefit society.