Amy and Scott McKearney with their children, from left, Diane, 4, Kelley, 9, and Meghan, 7, at their home in Thomaston, Conn. “I’m definitely not a helicopter parent but I’m not a free-range parent, either,” Amy McKearney says. While she’s still on chauffeur duty to distance and busy roads, McKearney has found lots of little ways to foster growing independence in her brood.Much is made about two distinct styles of parenting. We’ve got the hovering helicopters and the risk-taking free-rangers, and back-to-school season threatens to bring out the beast in both.
Parents of newly minted kindergartners cling to school fences, while first-time middle schoolers are encouraged to find their own way there after years of being micromanaged.
In between are the middle-grounders, parents who embrace baby steps to independence. Encouraging, instilling and planning for more freedom and responsibility for kids doesn’t have to be an ordeal, some says. And back-to-school season can be the perfect time to figure out the next round.
Take Amy McKearney, a mom of three girls, ages 4, 7 and 9, in Thomaston, Conn. While she’s still on chauffeur duty for school and many activities, she has found lots of little ways to foster growing independence in her brood.
“I let my oldest go to the park with my 4-year-old while I watch the 7-year-old play soccer,” she offers. “It’s about 100 yards away.”