s/o: How did you, your friends and siblings handle being free range?

[Penny_P]

This is an interesting thread as I read her book about a year ago and was fairly convinced, and have been slowly trying to trust that my children are trained to make smart decisions.

 

I think back on my more free-range childhood. I rode my bike and got into one car accident- only chipped my front tooth and didn't lose my life, which had the accident occured just a wee bit differently could have happened. When 13 or 14, I was approached by an older guy on my way home from school on a city bus. Flattered, since I was too shy to talk to boys much, I agreed to meet him the next day. We walked around a grocery store strip mall and then he wanted to "go behind the buildings". I had no idea he wanted to make out! I put the kabosh on that instantly much to my mortification and his angry disapointment. He didn't attack me or anything, though.

 

When I was 17 I went on a missions trip to Central America without a group. My parents were stupid to let me go, really. I just wanted to get out of my unhappy house, and I didn't have any skills. I would NEVER let my own child do that. In fact, I'm so grateful I'm ok to tell about it.

 

Location really does matter. Free-ranging suburbia vs. the forest vs. the inner city. What I think about was that 150 years ago women would get married at 16 and start their families then. Most parents I know don't trust 16 year olds to stay at home by themselves over night.

[Jennifer3141]

I was free ranged as a kid and and mostly free range-ish but I do it differently than my mother did. My parents owned their own business and they started leaving us alone when I was 1st-2nd grade. I look at my DD now and laugh at the very idea of leaving her alone with a 4 year old for half an hour, let alone 2-3 hours after school. I was 7-8 when my parents started leaving us alone for an hour or so at a time. I call those latchkey kids now as a parent. :glare:

 

Now, when I was 6th grade and up it was cool. But the damage had already been done. I had no clue how to take care of a little kid and so my methods were pretty horrible. It damaged my relationship with my brother for a looooong time.

 

But I do have fond memories of my brother and I free ranging in the summer and spending the day swimming in the little lake or playing in the creek miles from home or riding our bikes 10 miles to the next town for candy. We were like 7 and 11 then.

 

Now, we have 10 acres. It's a nice rectangle and the house is set back almost half the length of the property. So we have a nice driveway for bike riding and I don't helicopter out there. I can hear both of them all the time. And they also love exploring the back acreage which is mostly hay at this point. My kids are also 14 months apart, neither really has to parent the other. They free range by coming and going all day long. but they don't stay out nearly like my brother and I did. I'm happy with that.