Should parents take a more hands-off approach to raising their children?

On CBC's The National, Melanie Nagy spoke with parents who are heading the growing movement for so-called "slow parenting" or "free-range parenting" methods, which aim to let kids feel liberated as they play, allowing them to learn about the world with fewer restrictions.

Canadian writer Carl Honoré, father of two and author of In Praise of Slow and Under Pressure, says the idea is to allow young people to largely discover the world for themselves, rather than to force young people into overstructured, overscheduled lifestyles that "turn parenting into a race for perfection."

"Slow parenting is about bringing a bit of balance back," he said. "It's about giving children the time and space to explore their own world at their own pace."

New Yorker Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids, was dubbed "the worst mother in the world" after letting her 8-year-old son take the subway on his own.

Meanwhile, Torontonian Paul Cyopic's 11-year-old son has been walking to school alone for three years, and his 8-year-old twin daughters regularly walk to the corner store on their own.

We want to know how parents in the CBC Community find the right balance of restrictions and freedoms for their kids. How closely do you supervise your children (or have in years past)?

Should parents take a more hands-off approach to raising their children? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.


(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)