Should the government be scooping up our children who are playing alone at a park? Free range parenting advocates say children need their independence. And if those parents are comfortable letting their children play alone at the park and walk home, who are we to say they can’t?
I played alone at the end of the street. I wandered through the woods at the end of the block and played in the sewer after heavy rains catching crawdads. Was that the safest thing to do? No. Did I die. No.
Sure, we live in a different world than those of us who grew up 30 years ago. But shouldn’t the choice be up to the parent as to how they raise their child? It’s not as if they’re allowing them to juggle knives or play with explosives. They’re walking home from the neighborhood park.
So how much is too much government overreach? I’d say it’s right about the time when the government agency makes you sign a paper saying you won’t leave your children unsupervised.
H/T USA Today
Photo credit Pamela V. White
