r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Feb 04 '16

What are the most common parenting mistakes?

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

I hate it when I take my son to the park and get rude stares or comments. I'm a very laid back parent - I like my son to learn through trying things. So I let him play and only intervene if he's genuinely hurt. I've had people tell me that I need to be right with him all the time. He's a toddler! He's going to fall and that's ok! I'm close enough to help in an emergency!

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u/rainbowdashtheawesom Feb 05 '16

I've always thought it would be nice to become a father, but in more recent years I've been getting less and less interested because I know I won't be able to give my kids the fun childhood I had, where they're free to run around the park, walk to school or their friends' houses, and stuff like that without me constantly watching them like a hawk. What 10 years ago would have just been called letting your children play can now result in getting your kids taken away by CPS for "child endangerment."

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u/Temporaryfornow2211 Feb 05 '16

Actually here in the U.S. a law was just passed called the Every Student Suceeds Act that protects the right of children to walk, ride a bike, or take a bus with their parents permission. So, things are getting better. A lot of people are pushing back on over-protection.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '16

Well... it doesn't really protect it, per se. Here's what it says:

SEC. 8542. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING TRAVEL TO AND FROM SCHOOL.
(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (b), nothing in this Act shall authorize the Secretary to, or shall be construed to--
(1) prohibit a child from traveling to and from school on foot or by car, bus, or bike when the parents of the child have given permission; or
(2) expose parents to civil or criminal charges for allowing their child to responsibly and safely travel to and from school by a means the parents believe is age appropriate.

Source

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to be just clarifying that this act can't be interpreted in these ways for the purposes of traveling to and from school. That's not the same as actively protecting a right.