Making It Legal for Kids to Frolic
Kids have the right to some independence, and parents have the right to give it to them -- without getting investigated for neglect!
That's why I'm thrilled that legislators in five states are hoping to pass "Reasonable Childhood Independence" laws this year. And another five states may follow suit.
Bipartisan sponsors, who often disagree on just about everything else, are working together to make it clear that parents have the right to decide when their kids can play, walk, bike and generally just be kids without constant adult supervision. "Neglect" and "child endangerment" are only when parents put their children in obvious, serious danger -- not anytime they take their eyes off their kids.
Parents shouldn't have to second-guess their rational decisions about letting their kids, say, cross the street or climb a tree. While these may not be 100% risk-free -- nothing is! Not walking down the stairs, not eating solid food, not getting into a tub -- but no one questions parents who let their kids do those things.
So why question the parents who let their kids leave the house without a security detail?
Lots of folks are thinking that way now. So on Feb. 5, Georgia Senate Majority Caucus Leader Jason Anavitarte (R) was joined by state Sens. Randy Robertson (R) and Jason Esteves (D) to introduce SB 110. The bill declares that children do not need constant supervision.
Florida legislators anticipate introducing a similar law shortly, with the effort led by state Rep. Monique Miller (R) and state Sens. Erin Grall (R) and Leonard Spencer (D).
Both states' bills are gathering momentum in part due to the international story of Georgia mom Brittany Patterson, arrested because her son, age 10, took a walk to town without telling anybody. A passerby saw him and called the police. Law enforcement handcuffed Patterson in front of her kids and threw her in jail.
Additional interest in Reasonable Childhood Independence laws has been sparked by the bestselling book "The Anxious Generation" by my Let Grow cofounder Jonathan Haidt. It cites Let Grow's legislative work as a key initiative that can help reduce children's anxiety and depression by increasing their independence. (It can help decrease parental anxiety too!)
Most states' child protection laws define neglect as the inability or unwillingness of a parent to provide "proper supervision." But who decides what is "proper"? Too often, these laws allow government caseworkers to impose their own ideas of what good parenting is.
Moreover, parents in poverty -- say, moms working two shifts -- worry that letting their child come home with a latchkey could be mistaken for neglect. Helicopter parenting shouldn't be the law. It is a luxury.
In Missouri, state Rep. Josh Hurlbert (R) has introduced HB 570. In 2024, he introduced a similar Reasonable Childhood Independence bill that received unanimous support but did not get a final vote before the legislature closed last spring.
In Nebraska, state Sen. Terrell McKinney (D) has introduced LB 462. The bill was heard in the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 7.
Michigan state Sens. Jeff Irwin and Ed McBroom plan to reintroduce SB 547 and SB 548 shortly, companion bills that were taken up before the Michigan Senate Housing and Human Services Committee last spring.
Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Virginia and Montana have already passed similar measures.
Meanwhile, preliminary discussions with legislative leaders and advocates in states from California to Pennsylvania are laying the groundwork for potential legislative action later in 2025 or 2026.
Nonprofits across the political spectrum, from the conservative Parental Rights Foundation to the American Civil Liberties Union, have joined Let Grow to promote and testify in support of these laws, as have many child and family advocacy groups.
This legislation not only gives parents peace of mind and explicit legal protection, it also helps preserve states' limited child protective resources for the abused children who need them most. Win/win/win/win.
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Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a contributing writer at Reason.com, and author of "Has the World Gone Skenazy?" To learn more about Lenore Skenazy (Lskenazy@yahoo.com) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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