Written by Tangle readers Elli Purtell and Sarah Gripshover.
We’re writing in response to a piece that ran in our local newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois, by a concerned woman who saw a young girl playing alone in a park and urged caution and parental supervision. We have no doubt the author had the very best intentions when she asked the girl at the park to show her where her parent was. However, we take issue with the general message of her op-ed.
Modern parents and caregivers are raising children in a society that’s obsessed with total and absolute safety (the era of the ubiquitous “helicopter parent”). As mothers of young children ourselves, we understand the desperate feeling of worry that seems to go hand-in-hand with loving your child. But we also recognize how detrimental to children this type of parenting can be.
More and more children and teens are suffering from crippling mental health problems. According to a 2021 report published by the CDC, 40% of adolescents feel sad or hopeless most of the time and 10% have actually attempted suicide — a dramatic increase since 2011.
One of the best solutions for combating mental health and raising happy, confident kids is to give them more independence, not less. Children need autonomy. Research in developmental science shows that autonomous, unsupervised play is not a “nice to have” in childhood — it is an indispensable ingredient for healthy social, cognitive, and emotional development.