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i never heard of this as a theory. i feel like this is how a lot of parents used to be and our generations are so much more protective. sometimes for good reason. I was also raised similarly to how you described (haven't clicked on the links yet). Will I be a "free range" parent myself? I can't say yet. With my 7 mo baby I feel like i am free range in some ways, but over protective in others, so I guess I will see how I pan out. I don't have a "plan" of what theory/type of parent I will fit into though. I just take it one week at a time and as needed, discuss things with DH.

Yes, I subscribe to this theory and really like it. I am just by nature not a worrier so it fits my personality.

Here's a blog I used to subscribe to on my reader - http://www.freerangekids.com/

I'm pretty free-range! G's been playing outside by himself since he was 5/6... He is requested to check in periodically, has some ground rules like not playing in the ditch, barefooted (he's cut his foot before), and to be in when the street lights come on (along with the rules of the apt complex when we lived there), but otherwise he comes & goes and does his thing. I've never been a helicopter parent & I am in no way responsible for his constant entertainment! lol We connect during dinner & through periodic things we may do together as a family but otherwise the day is for him to find himself & his own day!

I'm not a big worrier by nature, but I think I'll strike a balance between total free-range parenting and being a helicopter parent. My parents were free-range parents (as many parents were in that generation), mainly because they had 6 kids and couldn't possibly watch all of us at once.

We lived out in the country and roamed pretttttty freely--VERY freely by today's standards, but things did happen as a result of that.
-My sister fell down the stairs (no baby gates!) and broke her leg at the ripe old age of 2.
-I got a hairline fracture of my skull from the top of my head to behind my ear (and a severe concussion) at 5, because I would always climb up my older brother's sisters' legs and flip backwards (no one ever told me not to!)
-a neighbor boy completely severed his finger in our backyard from falling from our playground equipment to the ground (and getting a finger caught on the way down). My mom had to find the finger, pack it on ice, and call 911 (they were able to reattach it).
-My brother shot me in the ankle with a bow and arrow (yup, we were allowed to play with real bow and arrows without parents around). I still have that scar, almost 28 years later. Enough said.
-I was in a tornado, alone with with 1 year old sister, at the age of 7. I was scarred for about 25 years after that during every storm. My mom had left us alone at home to go pick up my sister after band practice and was made to stay at the school because of the tornado. Leaving kids at home alone for 20 minutes was VERY common then.

There are sooo many more stories I could tell. Basically, we were allowed to experience A LOT as kids, totally on our own. Very free range indeed.

These things make my parents seem almost negligent--but they totally weren't! They cared a lot about us and did a great job parenting, I think. But certain incidences could have been MUCH worse and it's just sheer luck that none of us had worse injuries that we did.

Long story short-- I think there's a balance.

I let her explore more than I've seen other parents do, I want her to know how to do stuff independently and be capable but at the same time I am a worrier so I try to balance the two.

I think by nature I'm more of a helicopter parent. I'm a worry-wart and always have been! I always thought I would be a super duper helicopter mama. But I've become so much more laid back when we found out my son had some developmental delays (mainly speech but it affects so much). We let him do a lot of things on his own and let him figure it out. If he wanders away from us, we let him get "lost" (we're watching him of course) so that he learns to stay close. We'll let him bump into something or fall off something if we think he won't get seriously hurt because he needs to learn to balance. We let him play outside unsupervised for as long as he wants. We'll let him touch something hot (as long as it won't burn him) so that he learns what hot feels like. We'll encourage him stay in his room and play with a box and markers for an hour so that he can unleash his creativity. We let him eat dirt and play with bugs and just be a boy. Dirt and bugs would've been no-no's before (yuck!). He's definitely changed me as a parent. So I think sometimes you just have to follow your child and adapt your parenting style to match their needs. I've become a lot more chameleon-like. I guess that's my parenting style?

I think my parents were pretty free range with me and I appreciate how it encourages independence and creativity. I am definitely a worrier but I try to temper that as much as I can! The first 3 months mellowed me out more than I would've ever imagined, so I'm hoping that continues as LO gets more active and older.

@scg00387: it's pretty interesting. I don't subscribe to ALL of it, but I like the basis behind it.

I identify loosely with free-range parenting.
I feel like no matter what you do, there is always the chance of something bad happening. I want my kid(s) to live life and explore while making sure they understand where dangers exist.

@mewtill: Agree. I like the idea of having conversations with your child and to me, it's like taking as many chances as you can to capitalize on a learning opportunity.