Parental rights live to see another day, thanks to a new Utah bill that says “free-range parenting” is legal in that state. The bill, which critics called “controversial,” is the first of its kind.
Parenting, like any other category, has its own lingo: There’s “free-range” and there’s “helicopter,” among other styles. Progressives have attempted to sabotage parental rights, convoluting them with a mixture of hyper-vigilance and blame so thick that kids aren’t free to do anything on their own — and parents who encourage kids to be independent are being vilified.
For example, there’s a bill in Pennsylvania that would punish the parents of bullies, exempting the children themselves for taking responsibility for their behavior. Some schools have banned recess to prevent kids from getting hurt, or post playground rules so laborious that play is pointless.
A few years ago, Abby W. Schachter wrote a book called No Child Left Alone which detailed numerous examples of parents who experienced the adverse results of letting their kids experience hard knocks and develop important skills necessary to independence. Nicole Gainey was arrested and charged with child neglect in 2014 after letting her seven-year-old, who had a cell phone with him, walk to a nearby park to play with friends. In 2015, a Maryland couple was accused of neglect for letting their two children, aged 10 and 6, walk home without adult supervision. Stories like these abound.
Parents who advocate the opposite of this type of hovering or helicopter behavior have been given the nickname “free-range,” thanks to Lenore Skenazy, a mom who made headlines in 2008 when she let her nine-year-old ride the subway alone. After phone calls from police questioning her judgement, she started the “Free Range Kids” movement. She boasts statistics that prove her point: Crime is low, violent crime against children is really low, and abduction by a stranger is incredibly rare.
Utah’s “free-range” bill grew out of this movement. Utah’s legislature voted unanimously to approve the legislation, and Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed the law, which “specifies that it is not a crime for parents to allow kids who display maturity and good judgment to do things like walk to school alone or play outside without supervision.” Republican state Sen. Lincoln Filmore, the Utah bill’s chief sponsor, told Yahoo he introduced the legislation to encourage children to become more self-reliant. “I feel strongly about the issue because we have become so over-the-top when ‘protecting’ children that we are refusing to let them learn the lessons of self-reliance and problem-solving that they will need to be successful as adults.”
Skenazy and other “free-range” parents have applauded this bill, which will hopefully help kids foster more life-skills, and allow parents a bit of breathing room to parent as they see fit, without fear they’ll be slapped with a fine, lawsuit, or worse.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
