Utah Passes ‘Free-Range’ Parenting Law

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/29/well/family/utah-passes-free-range-parenting-law.html

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It is not a crime for parents to let their children play unsupervised in a park or walk home from school alone under a law signed by Utah’s governor last week.

The law, which reflects a movement known as free-range parenting, goes into effect on May 8 and is the first of its kind in the nation. But its backers say lawmakers in several other states are considering introducing similar bills.

“The fact that we need legislation for what was once considered common sense parenting a generation ago and is considered normal in every other country in the world is what surprises me,” said Danielle Meitiv, the Silver Spring, Md., mother who made national headlines three years ago after she and her husband were charged with child neglect for letting their two children, ages 6 and 10, walk home from a park by themselves. “I’m glad Utah has put these protections in place after what I discovered when I tried to parent the way I was parented.”

State Senator Lincoln Fillmore, who introduced the Utah bill in January, said he was motivated by situations like Ms. Meitiv’s. The bill specifies what constitutes child neglect in the state, and what does not. Under the law, neglect does not include “permitting a child, whose basic needs are met and who is of sufficient age and maturity to avoid harm or unreasonable risk of harm, to engage in independent activities” such as going to and from school by walking, running or bicycling, going to nearby stores or recreational facilities and playing outside.

“The statutory definition of neglect in Utah was broad enough that anyone could say a child playing alone in a park was being neglected,” said Senator Fillmore, a Republican. “Neglect should not mean letting your kids play by themselves in the park or walk home from school alone.”

State Representative Brad Daw, the bill’s House sponsor, said he views the law as an “anti-nuisance” measure.

“The law says that you can’t just call authorities if you see a child playing alone in the park. It frees up authorities from investigating these nuisance calls while allowing them to focus on children who are actually being neglected,” Mr. Daw said.

In brief comments to the House Health and Human Services Committee, Diane Moore, executive director of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, praised the legislation, saying, “we agree that kids should be kids and parents should be parents.”

Lenore Skenazy, the former New York Daily News columnist who is credited with starting the free-range parenting movement, has been advocating for such a law for four years. Ms. Skenazy was called “America’s worst mom” after writing a column 10 years ago about why she let her 9-year-old son ride the New York City subway by himself.

“No one should have to second-guess their decision if they feel their kids are safe, the neighborhood is safe,” she said.

In the case of Ms. Meitiv and her husband, they were cleared of the charges, and she is now running for public office, seeking the county council at-large seat in Montgomery County, Md.

“It was a complete shock that I was in the situation where I had to fight back against my local government who were literally interfering with what I thought was best for my children,” Ms. Meitiv said.

Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute in Utah, who worked with Senator Fillmore on the Utah bill, said his organization, a libertarian-leaning think tank that works on state policy issues including parental rights, is pushing for similar bills in other states next year. Mr. Boyack said a bill is set to be introduced in Idaho in 2019, and Libertas has reached out to officials in Arizona, Colorado and Texas.

In New York, Phillip Steck, a state assemblyman, said he was considering introducing a similar bill but needed to do further research.

Although similar legislation failed last year in Arkansas, free-range parenting advocates say the issue is embraced by many across the political spectrum.

“It appeals to conservatives who value the sanctity of family and keeping the government out of their lives, and for liberals, it means giving their children freedom to be kids,” Ms. Skenazy said.

Mica Hauley of Lehi, Utah, a mother of five children ranging in age from 3 months to 9 years, said she supports the law because she believes it encourages children to learn how to be self-sufficient and think for themselves.

“I can now make the decisions that are best for my children and not live in fear I am being judged and could be arrested,” Mrs. Hauley said. “I trust that my kids can walk a short distance home from school. I may be looking out the window for them and praying for angels to be at their sides but I have to give them the freedom that will make them confident and independent adults.”