A Shopping List for a Free-Range Family
Enjoy the fruits of capitalism with The Goods, a regular series highlighting products that can make life a little bit better.
Right now, childhood is intensely meh. Maybe you read the recent report in The Journal of Pediatrics that said that as kids’ independence and free play have gone down, their anxiety and depression have been going up. Or maybe you picked up Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and read about how kids need to return to a play-based childhood or else fall off the mental health cliff. Perhaps you saw the surgeon general’s report about how kids are utterly miserable—or his newer report about how parents are utterly miserable.
Kids are having less fun growing up oversupervised, and parents are having less fun constantly supervising them. Both generations desperately need freedom. And it turns out that when adults step back, kids step up.
I co-founded Let Grow, where we believe today’s kids are smarter and stronger than our culture gives them credit for. We are making it easy, normal, and legal to give kids the independence they need to grow into capable, confident, and happy adults.
If you are ready to start raising free-range kids, here are some goods to make it as easy as falling off a log (something else you should let your kids do). Note: You don’t actually have to buy anything to make this happen. Just open the door! But in the interests of capitalism, here are some freedom-enabling goods.
FOR KIDS
Walkie-Talkie
A walkie-talkie is the poor man’s iPhone, but better. It lets kids reach you and vice versa—nothing more. Yes, they’ll be home for dinner. Thanks for checking in, kids. Now go find a dead body or something.
A Let Grow ‘Kids License’
At Let Grow, we do not think kids must be licensed. But when some “good Samaritan” stops your kid on the street and insists it’s not safe for them to be outside on their own, your kid can whip out this (free) license that says, “I’m not lost or neglected!” It even has your phone number on it, so the Samaritan can confirm that you are indeed fine with allowing your kid to be a self-ambulating human.
A Bike
For kids, a bike is freedom. And yet the number of kids riding bikes to school (or walking) has been plummeting for decades. For advice on how to get kids back in the banana seat, I contacted Wired writer Clive Thompson, who just rode his bike all the way across America for his next book.
“I don’t have a particular brand to recommend (there 
are many good ones), but the one thing I’ll say is don’t get a kid’s bike from Walmart or Target,” says Thompson. “These tend to be very low-quality ones, with exceptionally cheap gear-changing and braking systems that break easily.….If at all possible, go to a full-on bike shop, or a sporting store (like REI)….Paying a little bit more for a good quality children’s bike is an investment in making your kid enjoy cycling, and thus more likely to stick with it.”
Flashlight
How else are kids going to play night tag? You can get two for $9 at Home Depot, so when they lose one, you don’t have to get mad.
Band-Aids
The saying goes, “Better a broken bo
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
