When kids grow up, parents need to give them some freedom to live their life as they want. It is an essential step of the parenting journey, which helps the kids to learn and grow.
Giving your kids enough freedom helps them to become independent and differentiate between right and wrong.
At the same time, you must impose some restrictions to protect them from taking any wrong decisions or going the wrong way.
It brings us to the question of how much freedom you should exactly give your child.
How much freedom should you give your teens?
Giving an appropriate amount of freedom helps to prepare your kid for adolescence. While it is common for parents to get confused about the amount of freedom they should give to their kids, the answer varies from person to person. What is the age of your child, how mature he/she is, the amount of family support they have, what are their past experiences, how responsibly they act in a given situation and others. Many times kids are good at identifying genuine people or due to past traumas are not able to handle some specific situation well, in that case, they need their parent’s constant guidance.
Things you need to keep in mind when making a decision
There are no set rules when it comes to giving freedom to your kids. You’ll have to take several things into consideration before deciding the rules for your little ones. Here are some tips that may help make the right decision.
Consider the age: Allow only those things which are appropriate as per the age of your child. If your kids are just 16 years old, do not allow them to stay late at night or drive a car without a license. Tell them to wait for a few more years to avail certain privileges.
Set clear limits: When kids ask permission for something, before allowing them to set clear rules and consequences of overstepping the rule. It will help them act responsibly. When they go out, fix time to come back, and limit the time they spend with their friends. Also, lay clear rules about study time and other activities.
Implement consequences for breaking rules: When your kid breaks any rule or limit make sure you take appropriate actions. If you do not act at this time, they will repeat the mistakes time and again. You can assign them additional tasks or limit their outdoor activities if required.
Link their freedom with responsibilities: To make your kids more accountable, link their freedom with responsibilities. Give them household work to do, pay the bills and bring groceries. It will also help them make responsible choices.
