""Mom, I have to go to the bathroom right now," my 8-year-old son frantically informed me from the backseat. We were stuck in the middle of a crowded Starbucks drive-thru after school one day, and his 3-year-old brother was asleep in his car seat. So, desperately, I offered a solution: "Alright, you can go inside by yourself, and I'll meet you at the front patio.""
"It was the first time I'd ever let them do something like that on their own, and I was surprised at how nervous it made me feel. Surely, our parents in the 90s let us run around playgrounds, libraries, and other places by ourselves, so why was I so worried about letting them do this simple thing? Because they could get hit by a car or kidnapped or make a nuisance, my anxious brain not-so-helpfully reminded me."
An 8-year-old was allowed to use a public restroom alone after school while a younger sibling accompanied him, producing pride and visible happiness. Parents often experience anxiety about safety risks such as cars, abduction, or public misbehavior, which limits children’s real-world autonomy. A survey of U.S. children ages 8 to 12 found many have online freedom but lack practical independence. Creating small, supervised opportunities for children to act independently builds confidence, responsibility, and life skills. Gradual, appropriate freedoms can counteract overprotective tendencies and promote emotional well-being and competence.
Read at Business Insider
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