Argumentative Research Paper – Free-Range Parenting. Otia Anderson English Department, Delaware Technical Community College ENG 102 – Composition II Mr. Edward Ruiz July 21st, 2024. Benefits of Free-Range Parenting The most common debate is between two parenting techniques: helicopter and free-range parenting. Free-range parenting gives children the opportunity to independently explore and learn with limited parental supervision, while helicopter parenting involves the supervision of children closely. Free-range parenting teaches children self-reliance, decision-making, and coping skills as they explore communities as it is deemed safe to do so. It has been shown to be beneficial to the growth of children’s social, emotional, and …show more content…
This is not true as children could be kidnapped or harmed while in their parents’ direct care. According to Skenazy (para. 8. While parents want to protect their children, this thinking leads them to think of the potential physical harm while they are forgetting about the mental and emotional harm being inflicted by being overprotective. It is important to know that sheltering your child from everything and not giving them that opportunity to figure things out on their own can aid in them struggling with mental health issues. Claim 3: Parents want to protect their children from all potential sources of harm, however the cases of mental health in children and young adults are rising. Free-range parenting helps prevent mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and dependency issues. According to a survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there is an increase in the depression and suicide rates in children and young adults. From years 2009-2017, there was an increase of 69% in depression in children aged 16-17 and an increase from 7% to 15% for young adults aged 20-21. From 2017-2018 the suicide rate doubled for young adults aged 20-23 (Wilterdink, 2019, para. 2). The adage of the adage. When …show more content…
Giving them the space and chance to do things for themselves aides in their mental health growth. Parents need to see where their child’s capabilities to make good decisions are and if they never have the chance to prove to you their intelligence and how to react in different situations, how can they improve those skills? Furthermore, children are given unsupervised time when it is deemed safe to do so for each individual child. It is on a case-by-case basis, not at a certain age. Secondly, when it comes to a child’s mental health and safety, a child thinking their parents can protect them from every bad and uncomfortable situation will give them a false sense of safety. This would also lead to children lacking the skills of decision making and dealing with life stressors, which in return would cause more mental health challenges. Conclusion Free-range parenting is a good technique to help children learn to be self-reliant and build the social and emotional skills needed to be successful independently. When you are thinking about the well-being of children, you must take into consideration the physical and mental aspects. Free-range parenting does both of