We Did NOT Write This Paragraph

We swear we did not write this paragraph. And yet — check it out:

There’s so much stuff that kids today aren’t allowed to do — even though it was totally normal in the past! Think: Biking around the neighborhood, getting a summer job, taking a solo shopping trip. But just because kids aren’t allowed to do something doesn’t mean they aren’t capable. In fact, when given some support and a little trust, kids are able to do WAY more than most adults think! 

Doesn’t that SOUND like something we’d write? Something we have written pretty much every day for as long as we’ve been around?

But it’s not us! It’s The New York Times! On Sunday, the paper of record published a whole section for kids headlined, “YOU GOT THIS!” It encourages young folks to resist being underestimated, under-challenged, and even undermined by a culture that stopped believing kids can do things on their own. (Unfortunately, it is NOT online, just in print. The Times lets you order a copy for $5 here.)

Let Grow strongly agrees that “biking around the neighborhood, getting a summer job, taking a solo shopping trip,” etc., etc., are great things for kids to do. We also agree it’s time for us grownups to trust them to do more.

If you’d like a little help making this happen, we’re here for you!

We’ve got a series of 10 independence-building activities you can get — one a week, free — for taking our Pledge of Independence. We’ve got two school programs — also free — that make it easy for a whole class, or grade, or school to re-ignite childhood independence and free play. The 1-minute video of students doing The Let Grow Experience, below, is mighty inspiring. And we’ve even got a license your kid can carry around that says, “I’m not lost or neglected! I’m a Let Grow Kid!”

Want to talk to others thinking about letting their kids start doing a little more on their own? Join our Raising Independent Kids Facebook page and chat away, including about this blog post!

Here’s to our goal all along — one The New York Times now seems to share: RENORMALIZING CHILDHOOD INDEPENDENCE!