The Anti-safety mom? or just ‘normal’

A story getting a bit of press right now is the mom who lets her nine-year-old ride the subway in NYC alone. Is that reckless parenting? Or is it simply letting her kid be a kid and helping him to learn a little common sense and street smarts all at the same time? Isn’t experience the best teacher? How many things did we learn as kids by simply messing about either alone or with friends, without the “big mother” looking over our shoulder.

Now this daring mom has started a blog called Free Range Kids.

Here’s how it starts:

Do you ever..let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free Range Kid! At Free Range, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age children go outside, they need a security detail. Most of us grew up Free Range and lived to tell the tale. Our kids deserve no less. This site dedicated to sane parenting. Share your stories, tell your tips and maybe one day I will try to collect them in a book. Meantime, let’s try to help our kids embrace life! (And maybe even clear the table.)

Couldn’t have said it better myself. <link>