Protecting the Free-Range Kid

[Smitty-48]

To add to the fear of a child disappearing, there are few feelings as frightening as suddenly realizing your child is gone. It happens to moms the most because we're usually with the children more often. It gets seared into your memory.

Thus is why you gots to give momma the slip at some point, and strike out on your own come what may, lest you end up living in her basement into your thirties and beyond, because she is just incapable of letting go and has programmed you to view as being perfectly normal therein, see; the Millenials.

[MilSpecs]

To add to the fear of a child disappearing, there are few feelings as frightening as suddenly realizing your child is gone. It happens to moms the most because we're usually with the children more often. It gets seared into your memory.

Thus is why you gots to give momma the slip at some point, and strike out on your own come what may, lest you end up living in her basement into your thirties and beyond, because she is just incapable of letting go and has programmed you to view as being perfectly normal therein, see; the Millenials.

Three or four is not the time to do that.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Never miss an opportunity to bless us with your political views, Smitts.

Young childhood was pretty ideal. We grew up in the woods or on a farm, ran free until dark, no boundaries. I can't recall a better time in my life, that's for sure.

I was a fucking idiot in high school. Don't know if I was acting out over my parents' divorce, but I was mostly just consumed with doing whatever I felt like doing. We played hide-and-seek with our cars in the woods one night, topping 40mph with no headlights because fuck it. We played a game called 'manhunt' involving 2 teams and real weapons - nunchucks, knives, nightsticks, etc. The point was just to scare the other guy into surrendering when you found him, but... yeah. Tackle football without pads - no regrets there, it was awesome fun. Lots of acid trips, unprotected sex, drinking like fools and driving fast.

I ran some serious risks that I couldn't imagine my kid doing. I really don't know how to handle his coming puberty, but it's going to be a rough time.

[DrYouth]

But how are we going to protect the Helicopter kids? From everything...

[apeman]

We played hide-and-seek with our cars in the woods one night.

I need to know more about this fucking awesome game.

[SuburbanFarmer]

We played hide-and-seek with our cars in the woods one night.

I need to know more about this fucking awesome game.

LOL there was this square few acres of woods in our area, probably the size of a city block, with rural roads marking the borders. We played paintball there a lot. In highschool (probably around graduation) we were all at a party or something, and got a bug up our asses. We pulled in there with 5-6 cars and started chasing each other around like maniacs. We all had shitty beaters, so didn't care about damaging them.
At some point, guys started turning their headlights off and charging through it, just to see how stupid we could be. It was a hell of a time, and somehow nobody got hurt.

Another time, my buddy and I were coming back from a party, and pulled into his parents' really really nice subdivision, and decided to do a speed run around the lake - across from the houses. Blasting Snoop Doggy Dogg and driving like hell to finish before the cops were called. I dropped him off at his house and got out of the area just as the cops were pulling up to the gate.

Now, if I ever found out that my kid was doing that....

[apeman]

We used to turn off our headlights and race our beaters across the muni golf course.

The cops came once and I escaped by driving on a bike path through the woods.

[DrYouth]

Now, if I ever found out that my kid was doing that....

Count on it...

Both my wife and I had reckless periods...

Not to mention the gig I do... I know about how crazy shit can get.

And I also know it kind of has to get crazy... that's the only way we can really know our limits....

But the problem in my family is that my parents pretended everything was fine when it clearly wasn't... and that didn't help me out.

They should have busted my balls more than they did...

Liberals suck at holding their kids accountable.

I won't make that mistake with my kids!

[SuburbanFarmer]

Now, if I ever found out that my kid was doing that....

Count on it...

Both my wife and I had reckless periods...

Not to mention the gig I do... I know about how crazy shit can get.

And I also know it kind of has to get crazy... that's the only way we can really know our limits....

But the problem in my family is that my parents pretended everything was fine when it clearly wasn't... and that didn't help me out.

They should have busted my balls more than they did...

Liberals suck at holding their kids accountable.

I won't make that mistake with my kids!

I've actually surprised myself by taking a more authoritarian stance. I never thought that would be my way, but it really is the only way to institute any kind of discipline and focus. Whenever a tantrum is presented, I jump all over it and kind of bully the older one back into calm - the 2 yr old just gets restrained until it stops. Not that I'd ever smack them around or anything, just making it clear that I'm in charge. The results have been a marked increase in kindness, obedience, responsibility... it's working well for now.

When puberty comes, I think I'll have to double down - at least until I have time to teach the rules of life.

[DrYouth]

Whenever a tantrum is presented, I jump all over it and kind of bully the older one back into calm - the 2 yr old just gets restrained until it stops.

It's not bullying if you are keeping kids safe from themselves and each other.
It's responsible parenting.
Allowing reckless chaos to run rampant is no kindness.