Free-Range

The best parenting book I've read in ages!!!

And I did it!  I took the Free Range Challenge and sent JW & B (ages 11 & 10) to Fred Meyer (about a 10 minute walk) all by themselves to buy a little kiddie pool for E.  I was feeding the baby and needed to mop the floor and I didn't want to load little D in the car just to get a kiddie pool.  So, I gave my kids some $$ and sent them on their way.  I called my husband as reassurance that I was okay doing so . . . my motherhood worry butterflies stirring in my tummy.

Well, they did it!  Kind of.  :-)  I expected them to be gone no more than an hour.  They came home in 1/2 an hour.  "That was fast!" I exclaimed.  They said, "Yeah, the ______  gave us a ride home."  What?!

Just as the author said, people are not okay with kids being out alone!

Apparently the kids ran into a couple from our church and they asked, "Where's your mom?"
"At home."
"Oh, you came with your dad?"  (hahah!)
"No, we walked here ourselves."
"You're going to carry that thing all the way home by yourselves?"

And thus . . . they got a ride home!

I just laughed!  I was perfectly okay with my kids "carrying that thing" all the way home!  But apparently, it's just too much to ask of a couple of "tweens."

Anyway, it was a fabulous experience!  I'm feeling so FREE RANGE!  :-)