Letting kids run free makes them better adults

Since quitting her full-time job, Andrea Mara realised her kids have been living cossetted lives. And so she set about being a ‘free range parent’, trying to build kids that will be ‘can-do’ adults.

“Now, just open that jar,” I said to my five-year-old, who was helping me to cook dinner. She looked a little worried, and I realised she had never opened a jar before. Of course not — I’ve always done it for her.

It struck me as ironic that I’d spent years at work, passing on knowledge, training people, following a “teach a man to fish” mentality, but I’d forgotten to do the same at home. And as a result, my kids are missing some basic everyday skills.