German journalist Clemens Wergin moved his family from Berlin to Washington, D.C. for his job with the German newspaper Die Welt. While a move like that would carry cultural adjustments for any parent, Wergin comments in an op-ed in The New York Times on one of the most difficult adjustments to his new home—America's sheltered and paranoid parenting habits.

In Berlin, his 8-year-old daughter would walk a mile through the center of the city for piano lessons, ride the Metro by herself, play in the street unsupervised. In Washington, her initial solo trip to discover the local park stood in stark contrast to a parenting culture that hesitated to let the kids out at all, let alone unsupervised.

Wergin comments on the link between a child's freedom and their maturity: "It is hard for parents to balance the desire to protect their children against the desire to make them more self-reliant. And every one of us has to decide for himself what level of risk he is ready to accept. But parents who prefer to keep their children always in sight and under their thumbs should consider what sort of trade-offs are involved in that choice."

Possible Preaching Angles:

There are connections with God's parenting of us, aren't there? He chooses to allow us to be "free-range" kids, rather than keep us on a tight leash of behavior. We're allowed to run, try things, hurt ourselves and others, make mistakes. Why? Because it's how we grow. God knows something about parenting. Are we willing to learn from him?

Source:

Clemens Wergin, “The Case for Free-Range Parenting,” The New York Times (3-20-15)