Free Range Children

Last week when I was listening to the CBC Radio, parenting expert Karen Horseman was discussing a book called Last Child in the Woods, written by Richard Louv. In the book he posits that parents who hover over their children and do not allow them to explore the natural world, are depriving their children of so many rich, developmental experiences. They talked about "helicopter parents" who hover over their children, shuttling them back and forth from one place to the next and parents who fear the outside world so much that they'd sooner leave their child parked in front of the computer, instead of letting them wander around outside and perhaps get the odd bruise or scrape. Child abductions are the lowest in 30 years and when they do occur, they mostly involve relatives or people who know the child. Abduction by stranger is incredibly rare.

When I was a child, my friends and I would spend the entire day at the neighbourhood park. We had no cellphones. My parents taught us to not talk to strangers and so we didn't. Instead, we swam, biked, climbed trees, collected rocks, and generally had piles of fun, until we realized it was probably getting close to dinner time. We were also lucky enough to have a cottage and I had complete freedom to walk into town, swim by myself, use my father's carpentry tools, etc. Dad let me garden with him and mom let me use the sharp knives in the kitchen. It was all good. I know of a child who is not allowed to go on field trips. I'm only imaging that fear is the motivating factor in depriving a child from getting on a bus and seeing amazing things. Kids in my class just completed eco homes and they were over the moon that I let them use hot glue guns and hammers.

Recently, I read an interview with the actress Rachel Griffiths and she talked about how she considers her kids, "free range children." I like this idea. Although Duncan is only four, my husband and I can see that he yearns to get his hands on everything. He wants to do what we do. He wants to help. We're trying to teach him what to do and then we just let him have a go. He's been using huge kitchen scissors since he was two, and we let him try foods from around the world. I'll be excited to see what he can do on his own with each passing year. This summer, we're buying him a new two-wheeler and I want to see how he gets on without training wheels this time around. I never had training wheels. How did I learn? I just fell off the bike a lot until I got my balance.

Below, find an outline of Last Child in the Woods. I just ordered it from Book City. I'll write more, once I start reading it.

Erin

To read a synopsis of Louv's book, visit his website at http://richardlouv.com/last-child-woods

Parents and educators will find it very interesting.