Search Results: asked if i should leave her alone

How much freedom do you think children should have? Where would you draw your lines in the sand and why?


The rest of this is just my answer to the question:

I'm somewhere around the middle 3 options, but I'd implant trackers if I could, ha ha. I'm a balance of fairly strict parent mixed with freedom loving parent. My children have classes and schedules, but my children approved the classes before they joined. I won't let them be lazy, but they may rarely skip classes if they can maturely explain to me why they need to. They may go to friends' houses alone, but they must tell me where they are going, for how long, and never leave that area without coming back and telling me their new plan for safety reasons. They can date who they want, because they are trustworthy and handle their own issues maturely. They cannot sit in front of a TV all day, absolutely not! They can take on more extracurricular activities if they can maturely handle them, ask nicely, and stay on top of them with limited intervention from parents. They can eat what they want as long as it's more healthy than not. If they are making unhealthy food choices I will intervene. They may curse away from mixed company as long as they are not cursing at another human. We watch "World's Strictest Parents", and my children were surprised that those parents were considered strict since they do not see me as strict at all. Most children like my degree of strictness. I try to only be strict in important areas while allowing maximum freedom in other areas as long as it stays safe and they are mature enough to handle it.