Allowing children enough latitude so they learn where they fit into the real life social strata of their peer group, and eventually become free-standing, responsible, dependable, working, tax-paying adults. That’s a practical narrative on the definition of the word “parenting”. Those of us who have invented and developed the goods and services that we all use were raised by parents who did this.
Hovering parents produce nervous, unsure, dependent, insecure children who need continual prompts and encouragements. Letting a ten year old child learn how to make a few decisions for their own behaviors, while having enough space to make errors in judgment and learn from those experiences, regroup, and start over, teaches cause and effect. Action and consequence. Soon they learn how to elicit a positive response. That’s a reward for the child, and relief for the parent who knows that another lesson has been learned by natural selection.
These are life lessons that are not forgotten, and are the building blocks in the psyche of a successful, fully formed adult. State laws notwithstanding.
Esther Ramos
