Essay Writing Prompt: How much freedom and supervision should parents give their children? Are parents today too overprotective? Or is “free range” parenting a kind of neglect? Explain why. Write an argumentative essay, backing it up with textual details from the articles: “Are Modern Kids Coddled?” (Newsweek) and “Kids Solo Playtime” (NPR). Also refer to our class text, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Resources Online:

• “How much risk is good for kids? Parents make case for more adventurous childhoods” (NBC News)
• “Motherhood in the Age of Fear” (NYTimes)
• “Are Modern Kids Coddled?” (Newsweek)
• “Kids Solo Playtime” (NPR)
• “Maryland couple practicing “free-range parenting” investigated for neglect” (CBS News)
• Free-Range Kids
• “Free-range” parents cleared in 2nd child-neglect case (USA Today)
• ‘Free-range parenting’ advocate wages war against the belief that our kids are in constant danger (Raw Story)
• Maryland Officials: CPS Shouldn’t Interfere with ‘Free Range’ Kids (Parenting)
• Free-range kids: the upsides of relaxed parenting (San Jose Mercury News)
• Raising Risk-Takers: An Upside of Free-Range Parenting? (Huffington Post)
• American parenting has been misguided for decades — but one state is finally turning for the better (Business Insider)
• Free Range Parents Danielle and Alexander Meitiv Need to Stop Fighting and Put Kids’ Safety First (Huffington Post)
• Free Range Parenting: The Key Is Balance (Huffington Post)
• Used To Be (Huffington Post)

Writing Process:

• Persuasion Map (readwritethink)
• Parenting Essay Criteria and Tree Map
• Paperrater
• Hemingwayapp
• Grammarly