"Behavior, not age, is the best predictor, said Asheville [North Carolina] child psychologist Dr. Jerry Coffey, who also holds local parenting workshops. 'Consider whether the child had demonstrated responsibility and good decision making in other situations,' Coffey said."The general consensus is for parents to start slow. Let your children stay home along for short periods of time to see how they do. Go to the mall and ask them to meet you at a certain place at a certain time, as a kind of "test." Slowly increase their freedom based on their level of responsibility. Source: Asheville Citizen-Times
Labels: responsibility, independence, freedom
Posted By: Aspen Education Group