Who doesn’t like freedom? No limits, no restrictions, free as a bird – going wherever you want to go, doing whatever you want to do.

Kids of every age like freedom. When you let toddlers do what they like, they feel happy. When you let them walk independently, they feel pride in it. When a pre-schooler is asked to finish some task on their own or when your tweenage daughter picks a dress and you approve it then it’s a special feeling for them.

Kids now a days are becoming matured and independent very early. Not only their way of talking has changed, but in this process their way of seeing things also undergoes a lot of changes. They don’t like too much of directions. They often say, “you adults are so lucky. You don’t have to ask anybody’s permission before doing anything. Kids have to ask for permission.” Alike every parent, we tell them how carefree it is to be a child. Enjoy this phase. But for them it doesn’t have a lot of importance. Why? Because their definition for freedom is different.

 

 

With time, parenting style has changed as well. To make them independent parents have started to believe in giving freedom to their kids because that’s the need. I remember, our parents have given us freedom but it was within some limits. Freedom and limits or rules do not go hand in hand. That’s what kids feel. Rules are mainly to set discipline and it is  natural that we don’t like restrictions. We were no exception. But now when we are parents, we know those rules works. They give us a direction to behave. If kids are left just like that, it confuses them as they don’t is what is expected from them.

When I got this prompt “Your take on giving freedom to kids.”, the first thought that came into my mind was to let my kids know that getting freedom is not just a chance to act restriction-free but it’s a responsibility. It becomes a liability to be accountable for our own actions and decisions. Also, rules help us in staying in alignment with our goal. Freedom cannot be given, it has to be earned. Just because we are adult, we didn’t get freedom as a gift. They have to become eligible for handling it properly.

Kids love freedom. As kids, we were also in this state but our parents have given us clear guidelines. Starting with doing simple task independently, they moved us to challenging one’s. Slowly, we were in a position to handle freedom wisely. It is hard to follow exactly what our parents have done but the idea still remains the same.

You may wan to read: http://mothersgurukul.com/let-us-free-ourselves-illusion/

 

This post is apart of the #LetsDiscussFreedom Blogathon.

I would like to thanks Jinal who blogs at www.foreversassymommy.com

I would like to introduce Nisha who blogs at www.a2alifeofatwinmom.blogspot.com. I recommend you to read her views on the prompt ‘What Does Freedom Mean To You?”