Am I Being Too Strict? How to Safely Give Your Child More Freedom

By Janet Lehman, MSW

Do you ever wonder if your rules are too strict—or too lenient? When is it time to reel your child back in, and how will you know when it’s safe to loosen the reins a bit? Most importantly, is your child ready for more freedom and independence? Or are they showing clear signs that they’re not?

Your child: “Everyone else is going to the party. Why can’t I?”

You: “I don’t care what ‘everyone else’ is doing. You can’t go, and that’s final.”

Your child: “Why are you so unreasonable? You never let me do anything. I hate you!”

If your child is asking for more independence, it’s important to realize this is normal. Kids really should want more freedom. They should want to do more with peers as they get older rather than isolating themselves at home.

“It’s okay to say ‘no’—and in fact, sometimes that’s exactly what your child needs.”

But, don’t let your child bully you into giving them more freedom. If your child is pushing and pushing to get you to agree to something, you don’t have to respond right away. You can always say:

“I need to think about it. I want to talk to your father and your friend’s parents first.”

Take that time to figure out if you’re comfortable with the request, if it’s safe, if your child is ready for more freedom, and what the normal expectations are for kids in their age range. Remember, it’s okay to say “no”—and in fact, sometimes that’s exactly what your child needs.

Here are four things you can do as a parent to determine if your child is ready for more freedom and how to give it to them (or set firmer limits instead).

1. Determine Reasonable Limits for Your Child

To strike the right balance as a parent, you must lay the groundwork first by doing your homework. That means finding out what normal expectations and limits are for kids in your child’s age group. Younger kids might want to stay up later, play a new video game, or ask if they can stay overnight at a friend’s house. Older kids may want to borrow the car or attend concerts and parties.

Talk to others. It’s important not to stay isolated as a parent around these kinds of subjects because then you run the risk of having your child be the one to tell you what the norm is. They might try to push things on you by saying things like, “Tommy’s mom lets him do it.”

You don’t necessarily have to do what other parents are doing. Nevertheless, it’s good to know what other parents are doing. Make your own judgment about what your child should be allowed to do based on your family’s values and what you know of your child. How do you know when your child is ready for more independence? I always tell parents, “You’re the best judge of what your child needs. Listen to your gut.”

2. Be Clear About Your Rules and Expectations

Let your kids know what the rules are. If you have a rule that’s important to you, feel free to say it over and over, like a slogan. Here are some examples:

“No drinking, period.”

“Only one other child in the car when you drive.”

“Always follow the speed limit.”

“Respond to my text messages.”

3. Know the Facts About What Your Child Wants to Do

If your child asks if they can go to a party, you want to get the facts first and attend to safety concerns. Ask the following:

“Who’s going, how are you getting there, where are you going, and who’s going to be home?”

If they can’t give you those details, they may not be ready for that kind of activity. If they can, and you decide it’s okay, you can say:

“Yes, you can go, but you can’t drive anyone else. And you need to be back by your curfew.”

Don’t worry if your child grumbles. Believe it or not, kids feel safer when parents set some parameters around their behavior.

4. Give Independence Using Incremental Steps

When it comes to giving your child more independence, start with small incremental steps. If they successfully meet the expectations of each step, then you can add more responsibility or more freedom.

Let’s say your child goes to a party, follows all the rules, and comes back in good shape. You’ll find the next time it will be easier for you to give them that kind of freedom. Eventually, you might let them take another step toward independence by allowing other kids to go with them in the car.

Here’s another example. If your child wants to have a curfew of midnight instead of 11 p.m., you might say:

“Let’s start at 11:30 p.m. If you can come in at that time for two weeks, we can talk about moving it to midnight.”

This way, your child is showing you they can follow the rules. If you always say “no” out of fear that something bad might happen, the risk is that your child will never learn how to manage independence because they won’t have had the opportunities to learn.

If your child is acting up and can’t follow your incremental rules, this tells you they’re not ready for more independence. Generally, kids want more freedom and can learn how to earn it.

How to Talk to Your Child About Responsibility and Freedom

Here are four questions you can ask your child before you give them some additional freedom:

1. How will we know it’s working?

2. How will we know it’s not working?

3. What will we do if it’s working?

4. What will we do if it’s not working?

Those are powerful questions, whether you ask them regarding your child staying up later, using the car, or going to a dance.

Here’s how you can apply it. Imagine this scenario: your teen wants to go to their first concert with some friends. You’re nervous but open to the idea. The conversation might go like this:

You: “This is a pretty big step. How will we know it’s working—that you’re able to handle it—if we let you go?”

Your child: “I’ll go to the concert and come straight home afterward.”

You: “That’s right, you’ll go straight to the concert and call or text me when you get there. Then you’ll text me when it’s over and let me know you’re coming home.”

Your next question is: “How will we know it’s not working?“ And the answer: “If I don’t hear from you all night. If I find out you drove other kids in the car or were drinking. If you come home late.”

End the conversation with the last two “what” questions:

You: “What will we do if it’s working? I’ll be more likely to let you go next time.”

You: “What will we do if it’s not working? We’ll take a break from concerts for a while until you can show me that you can be more responsible.”

Those terms are the elements for any discussion around your child meeting responsibilities or doing new things. This is especially effective because it focuses your kids on the rules while giving you a structure to fall back on if your child can’t meet the expectations.

Expect that there will be missteps on your child’s part during this process. Let’s say your child drives to the party safely, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t have friends in the car, but they come home 30 minutes late. In addition to the conversation above, ask your child what was going on at the time and the choices they made. For example, ask your child:

“What can you do differently next time so that you don’t come home late again and get in trouble?”

With kids of all ages, let them know they’re not going to be given more freedom until they can meet the next step.

Conclusion

I’m a mom myself, and I know that none of this is easy. We worry, agonize, and spend many sleepless nights hoping we’ve made the right decisions as parents. Behind much of our reluctance to reel out more freedom is our fear that we won’t be able to protect our kids—that they’ll do something unsafe or scary.

If you realize you’re way out of sync with other parents regarding your rules and expectations, it’s worth asking yourself why. Does it have to do with your child and the risks involved? Or does it have more to do with you and your fears?

Understand that as your child grows, you need to offer them the opportunity for age-appropriate independence. After all, how will your child learn to be independent on their own if they’re never given a chance to try new things? It’s not easy, but we need to make those leaps sometimes as parents so our kids can learn to fly.

Related Content: Does Your Child Have Toxic Friends? How to Deal with the Wrong Crowd

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