As I Googled “Worst Mom Ever” hoping I don’t show up on page 1, I was filled with  relief. 

Not only am I not named, but the honor goes to a woman named Lenore Skenazy.  So I read to see what Lenore’s deal is, only to find – She’s MY NEW HERO!   Lenore has coined the phase Free Range Parenting and actively blogs about it.  Her quote – which I love – is that society’s current over protective form of parenting creates “Hothouse, mama-tied, danger-hallucinating joy extinguishers”.  I think Jamie Lee Curtis said it better in Freaky Friday - she called them “Fun Suckers”.  Reading Lenore’s philosophy sets me free.  It turns out that I am not a bad mother, I am just the antithesis of the helicopter parent.  By telling my kids to figure it out themselves because Mama Ssays So, I was actually empowering them.  SWEET!  Wait until I show up at a PTA meeting armed with that !!!!   Even the hard core room mothers have to respect Time Magazine.  This article “The Growing Backlash Against Over-Parenting” chronicles the rise of the Free Range Parenting movement.  If the article were shorter, I would consider tattooing it on myself.  I’ll suffice to link the article here and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1940697-4,00.html   

Lenore was trotted out as “America’s worst Mom ” on the Today Show 2 years ago for letting her 9 year old ride the NYC subway alone – mind you, they they live in that city.  Jeez, I should be able to get a spot on 60 minutes for putting my kids on planes by themselves, sending them to college interviews alone, and making them ride their bikes to swimming lessons then day camp.   I mean, come on, they have always made it back alive and they can definitely navigate their way in world – with our without me. 

Where do you fall?  Helicopter Parent?  Tiger Mom?  Free Range Parent?  Or a combo platter of all three?  Me,?  I am happy to discard the “bad mommy” title for a new badge, I am a proud member of the Free Range Parenters.  Mama Says So!