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Free-Range Children

Raising fearless adults

By Jean SumrallPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
2

One of the greatest gifts my mother ever gave me was freedom; freedom to explore the natural world, freedom to be me, and the freedom to choose what I believed.

Oh, she tried to control me. I remember the harness she would put on me when we went somewhere. This was used frequently after one day, I hid from her in the center of a clothing rack in Sears. I was two years old. I could see her, but she couldn’t see me. I was too young to notice the fear on her face. When I finally emerged from my hiding place, I received a swat on my rump, and a scolding about not ever, never doing that again.

I was raised in a rock hounding family, which meant that every vacation was hunting for rocks in the Western United States. Mom belonged to the Santa Monica rock club for many years, and the camping field trips were something I enjoyed. I was five years old or so at that time. She would put a red sweatshirt on me, and tell me I could go anywhere I wanted as long as I could see someone from our family, or the rock club. And I did!

I knew about looking out for rattlesnakes. In all the trips we took, we only saw one. Mom had stepped over a small log, and there was one curled up on the other side of it. It gave her quite a scare, but it never offered any aggression. We left it alone. There were few other things to be on the lookout for as I roamed far and wide.

I was fearless. I was so young that I had no idea of what might happen to me as I explored, always keeping an adult in sight. I followed the game paths, and learned to identify tracks in the dirt. I knew the names of many types of cactus, and which ones to avoid like the cholla cactus whose spiny barbs would tenaciously attach themselves to anything they touched. I was fascinated by the trap-door spider that lived underground. This spider created a door to its lair, and would charge out and grab its unsuspecting prey, dragging it into its home.

Following trails was something I couldn’t resist. I had to know what was around the bend and over the hill. The reward of all this exploring was seeing the animals and birds that lived in the fields. At a distance, I watched a badger emerge from its hole in a dirt bank and sun itself. If I was very still and patient, ground squirrels would poke their heads out from their holes and observe me, too.

The soaring of vultures and hawks fascinated me. As they rode the thermal air currents and circled in the air, I would imagine what it would be like to soar and glide like that. I watched the hawks hover in the air above their target, fold their wings and plummet full speed toward the ground where their prey fed, oblivious to the danger from above.

As I have been writing this, I have been hearing in my mind, the indignation and protests of parents everywhere. Helicopter parents, who hover over their children, and watch them every moment of the day are screaming out, how dare you promote free-range children. Don’t I know of all the dangers out there that lie in wait for children today? Of course, I do.

The bigger danger in my mind is that of projecting fears on our kids. Kids who are constantly watched rarely learn to be self confident. Parents who are fearful of living cause their children to grow up fearing life. Adults who have experienced painful times in their lives often pass that pain onto their kids. Love hurts, so don’t fall in love. The scars of betrayal live on so don’t trust anyone. Thieves are everywhere so be on guard. It all implies that the world is a SCARY PLACE.

I watch adults everyday living in the projections of their parents. They carry the beliefs that they were fed as children. They seldom realize how limiting and destructive those beliefs are. What are you feeding your children? How are you setting your children up for their adult lives? Will they live in fear of life itself, or will they have the courage to explore the amazing world we live in?

If my mother had known how far and wide I roamed, she might have been upset. I never told her of my adventures, and she never asked as long as I returned when I should. I didn’t give her any cause to worry. She trusted me, and gave me the freedom to experience the natural world. I have my suspicions that she might have been a free-range child also.

If you have enjoyed this story, please consider giving me a tip of appreciation.

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About the Creator

Jean Sumrall

I have led an amazing life with many varied interests including loving road trips, being a professional belly dancer, hand carving selenite, providing wise woman advice and intuitive readings for current problems. I love my life. Do you?

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