Guided In-dependence… A gift worth giving

Posted on July 4, 2012

Independence Day, the Fourth of July, is the day we declared independence from Great Britain. The day we, The United States, officially declared our freedom to make our own decisions, guided by our own political policies and political leaders like George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson and others. It was the birth of a new era, “in which free peoples would henceforth govern themselves.” As individual citizens, our ancestors were overjoyed by the freedom that they now had… Freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom to vote, etc. In essence, we were exercising our simple right to live in-dependently, dependent upon ourselves. It was definitely GUIDED INDEPENDENCE… independence that each citizen had under the agreed-upon guidelines formed by the Fathers of our Country. And look at where we are today… as individuals and as a nation… The Super Power of The World!

Such should be our guidance as parents. Such should be the guided independence we gift to our kids: by allowing our children to express their thoughts freely, especially when they are different from ours; by giving them space to explore new territory; by simply tuning in and listening to their suggestions and ideas; by respecting their individuality and guiding their intelligence; and by allowing them to make mistakes without beating them up about it. While they are still under our roof, this is how we can guide our kids to PRACTICE their independence so that they are prepared to eventually go out on their own to learn, grow and be healthy independent young adults.

Helicopter Parenting should be a thing of the past; it is detrimental to our kids’ social and emotional growth, to their future and their well being. Whereas, with GUIDED INDEPENDENCE we will raise thinkers, doers and future leaders. The earlier we start, the better it is. This is the greatest gift we can give our kids!

                             Guided Independence… A TOG worth giving