Just finished the book Free Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy. You may remember Ms. Skenazy as the mom dubbed "America's Worst Mom" after allowing her 9-year-old son to ride the New York subway alone. Well, she's defended her choice by asserting that when we deprive children of all independence and exploration opportunities, we're stunting their development and growth as people.  Remember, we're raising adults here, not children. Of course, there's a fine line between neglect and free-range parenting (as Ms. Skenazy calls it) that each parent must navigate based on their comfort level and their child's readiness for the next steps.

While I don't expect to put my daughter alone on a bus or train when she's nine (although we've got three years until then - who knows?), I'm taking baby steps toward granting my kids the independence they'll need to succeed. The other day I let my three-year-old walk a letter to the mailbox without my or her sister's company. The next, I put lunch on the table for my girls to help themselves. All working toward the common goal of slowly cutting those apron strings.