Prior to that, we had no idea which kids from her school, if any, lived near us. She’s made some friends in our neighborhood… she met them walking. It was fun, funny, maddening and enriching for both of us.įinally, to the absolute horror of all the other school moms, Miss O started walking to/from school daily, alone, rain or shine, at age 8. We role-played every conceivable situation from the cute kitten in someone’s yard, to the older kid who tries to push her around. At age 6, without older siblings/friends, I just couldn’t see that happening.īut rather than saying no, I outlined for her what I had to see that let me see she was ready to walk to school by herself: Looking both ways before crossing the street, crossing with confidence, being aware of time, etc., etc. Since Day One she has begged to walk alone to school. Our Divine Miss O goes to a school about 15 minutes away on foot, down a very busy city street, past a strip mall and across a city park with a deep pond.
Secondly, I’d like to share a chapter in our Free-Range life with you. So first of all, I just want to thank you for how your work has helped me to be the sort of mother I want to be. As an older mom with health issues, I needed to know she’d be fine without me. Besides that, I was just too tired to micromanage her! I needed her to be strong and independent. I felt constantly judged, simply because I believe that kids are lot more capable than we give them credit for. She was born when I was 43 and I did not fit in with my mothering peers. One mom’s surprising and Free-Range story: The girl’s new friend, an older, taller boy, walks home with her…and starts talking about weird stuff.