Free-range parenting is a hot topic nowadays. In a country, such as India, where helicopter parenting is quite the norm, the rise of free-range parenting all over the world has triggered a debate whether it could work for Indian parents or not. Free-range parenting does not mean that you completely leave your children to fend for themselves and become uninvolved completely. You do not stop being a parent but can detach yourself from some of the matters and monitor them from a distance for their own safety. Mobile spy apps play quite an essential role in this. We will get to it later.
Free-range parenting and Indian parents
So, what does free-range parenting entail? It is about role-modeling so that the children act appropriately and become responsible adults in the future. Free-range parenting is a parenting style that lets the children have their independence and freedom. Even now, tons of Indian parents feel that their child might face dire consequences if they let them out alone. Although with the child abductions and other crimes on the rise in India, parents are right in feeling that way. But too much guidance and hovering over children’s shoulder affects their confidence and independence, leading to aggravated mental and emotional stress.
Helicopter parenting involves a great deal of observation and being too involved in children’s lives. Somehow parents’ anxiety is also shifted onto their child. This negatively impacts their development as well. Free-range parenting, on the other hand, shifts a part of the parents’ responsibility to the children.
Protection Against Digital Dangers
Parents do not have to deal with the dangers of the real world only. The cyber world has become equally dangerous with pedophiles, sexual predators, scammers, and frauds seeking young and impressionable minds. Parents have become cautious about their child’s online presence and their digital footprint.
This has given rise to mobile spy apps that let you monitor your children from a distance instead of being on the watch 24/7 behind their shoulder. There are plenty of top mobile spy apps in India right now that can help parents in protecting their children from digital dangers while continuing with their free-range parenting methods. It has become a lot to easier to stay connected with your children with cell phones and all of them have one now.
One of the top mobile spy apps in India, Xnspy, is a great option to monitor your child’s online and offline activities remotely. You can monitor your child’s text messages, call logs, web browsing history, locations and even listen to the surrounding voices and sounds. The GPS tracking feature lets you know about their whereabouts. Having access to their social media accounts let you know who they are talking to on the internet. You don’t have to watch their every move. When children know you will do random checks on their activities, they are likely to indulge in responsible behavior.
Mobile spy apps have played an important role in practicing free-range parenting as you are aware where your kids are and what are they up to on the go without being with them physically.
Pros of Free-range Parenting for Kids
1. Children are able to enjoy independence and gain confidence as free-range parenting allows them a chance to be on their own in some matters. With time, age, and maturity level, children get more confidence and responsibilities. Free-range parenting aims to let children prove themselves that they are capable. Also, it instills problem-solving skills when children function on their own and find a solution to a problem.
2. Free-range parenting urges children to go in the natural atmosphere and connect with nature. Children get to play outdoors in natural air. Rather than spending time using electronics and gadgets, children can entertain themselves out in the park or backyard. Technology should not be the only way to have fun. Worrying Indian mums can carry on their chores and watch afar as their children play. And if you can’t see, you can always use mobile spy apps to see that your child has arrived safely. Xnspy lets you add certain words and locations in the Watchlist and sends you alerts when your child uses that word in chats or, enters/exits a certain location.
3. Children happen to have an active imagination. If you let them play without overseeing them every minute of every hour, this helps them in creating their own personality. The age of the child and the nature of the games they are playing are important things to consider while using the free-range parenting approach.
4. Parents should teach the necessary skills to their children first before giving them permission to do things independently. These activities can include walking alone to/from school, cycling, going to the store alone and riding the train. Teach them all the necessary safety measures they ought to adopt when they come across different emergency situations.
5. Free-range parenting prepares the children for the future. Not only they are able to do things independently, but they can also learn to make decisions and solve problems. Children get into fights while playing and when there are no adults around, they can communicate and negotiate on their own. Even compromise if needed. All of these are very important social skills.
Pros for Free-range parenting for parents
1. Taking the free-parenting road helps parents in taking out their fear. Yes, children fall and get hurt while riding a bike but that does not mean that you don’t let them ride a bike ever. All of these falls, injuries and skinned knees are part of childhood.
2. What you can do is ensure that children learn and practice safety measures such as wearing a helmet and wearing the right biking gear etc. while riding a back while realizing that accidents can happen. The perks of playing in the ground and learning new games surpass the risk of getting few scrapes and cuts.
3. Also, after the parents are relieved from the anxiety of a 24/7 watch of the children, they get the much-needed me-time. Set up a routine schedule. Monitor their locations using apps and establish rules that they are back home by a specific time.
Cons of Free-range parenting
Everything cannot be all good. Similarly, there are some cons to free-range parenting but, these have a solution too.
1. There are dangers in the real world so giving long hours of unattended freedom makes them prone to incidents or injuries. There is a greater risk of falling down and getting injuries while playing outdoors. It is essential to create a balance plus, Xnspy can assist you greatly in keeping watch from a distance.
2. They can pick up inappropriate words or phrases from other and/or older kids. Know your children’s friends.
3. Last, there is the issue of kind strangers and over-protective neighbors. The worst thing to happen is parents getting reported to the police for neglect at the hands of well-intentioned members of the society. This happens even when the free-range children are taught well.
Some parents even had to go to prison because of this. The past offenders are singled out. This happens especially for children belonging to underprivileged families, single parents and even parents of a different race.
At the end of the day, we have to install positivity in our children. The world is not all bad, and children need to learn from experience. Parents can start free-range parenting as their kids are growing up. With the passage of time, this parenting style would ensure that free-range children grow up with the skills of cautious and responsible adults.
