Choices, choices, choices, how do we know whether we are making the right decisions for our children? Recently I was told that I was too strict with my 11 year old and my 9 year old daughters. The reason I was told this doesn't stem from making them do chores, or speak only when spoken too, it stems from not allowing my two young girls to run around town unsupervised and knowing who my children are with. Recently, my daughter went to a friend's house that she's known for years. I don't allow either child to go to any ones house that I don't know the parents. I want to make sure that the parents have similar values, and the house is a safe place for my children to go... but i'm getting off the point. Anyways, my older daughter heads off to her friends house for the night and I find out that the mother sent the two girls, my daughter (11) and her daughter(10) off to the park on their own. A park out of site of the house, and out of ear shot if anything goes wrong. When my daughter got home, not only did she get priveledges taken away but she was not allowed to go over to the friends house. After speaking to the parent on this matter, her knowing full well that I didn't allow this in the beginning, told me i'm too strict. The same evening, my younger daughter was allowed to spend the time at her friend's house. She came home and told me, in tears, that the parents weren't there and they were left with a babysitter she didn't know. After speaking to the parents about this, they also told me, they felt I was too strict. Certainly I dont agree. When you send a child to someone's house you are intrusting that person to care for your child, right? Would you want to know if the child was going to be babysat by someone you or the child didn't know? Would you want to know that the other parent was going to send your child off to a park without adult supervision? Am I living in a world where parents don't feel the same love, dedication and protectiveness for their children that I feel for mine? Or am I being too strict and sheltering my children too much?
When do you know that your choices as a parent, are the correct ones to make?
