By Nico Levitan, age 11
As kids grow older, they often want more independence. And as they get more independence, they will be more prepared for adulthood. Studies show children and teens learn better when they have more choices, according to the New York Times
“While we want to wrap our kids in bubble wrap and make their worlds perfect, we do them no favors if we shield them from all discomfort,” Phyllis Fagell, a school counselor and author, told Vox. “What we want to do is give them tools to be resilient so that they are able to bounce back from a low grade, getting cut from a team, flubbing a line in a play, or sending a text they thought would be funny but that landed mean. All of those things that are part of growing up.”
In many cases, school is not helping children feel independent, because it does not give them enough choices or creativity. Only 33% of 10th graders say they get to develop their ideas in school, according to a Brookings/New York Times poll. And because of this lack of independence, around half of the people in Gen Z did not feel prepared for the future, according to a poll by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation.
In Yahoo News, experts share a few tips for parents and teachers to help kids develop their independence. Kids should know what to do in case of an emergency, know phone numbers for important contacts, have money on them, know what to do if someone on a train/bus is making them uncomfortable, and more. But experts caution that most children under 12 should not be left alone for long periods.
Norwegians have very different parenting styles on independence, according to the Guardian. For example, most parents get home late. This leads to children getting home before their adults and needing to be able to prepare dinner and do homework on their own. Kids also go to and from school by themselves, since they often live near their school. Norway has a much lower crime rate, which makes parents more open to letting children roam free.
Developmental psychologist Aliza Pressman told the New York Times, “Let kids do for themselves what they can already do. And guide and encourage them to do things they can almost do. And then teach and model for them the things that they can’t do.”
