When Lenore Skenazy let her nine-year-old son Izzy find his own way home by subway in New York City, she was reviled by some as “America’s Worst Mom.” But Lenore feels that as a society, adults have taken away freedom and autonomy from children, leaving in their place anxiety and passivity. The organization she co-founded, Let Grow, encourages parents to give their children the kind of small freedoms their generation had enjoyed as children, such as walking alone to school or to the park, and playing freely with other children, without being directed by adults.
How can schools and parents give children more free play, independence and responsibility? Is there evidence this can boost mental health and wellbeing?
Guests:
- Lenore Skenazy, Co-founder, Let Grow
- Karen D’Souza, Reporter, EdSource
Read more from EdSource: Free-range parenting: A chat with Lenore Skenazy
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.