24/08/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ.
A recent poll of 8 to 12-year-olds in the United States asked children about some of the everyday things they had done independently.
The results were surprising.
45% had never walked in a different aisle to their parents at a store.
56% had never spoken with a neighbour without their parents.
61% had never made plans with friends without adults helping them.
62% had never walked or ridden somewhere, like a store, park or school, without an adult.
63% had never built something outside, like a fort or treehouse.
71% had never used a sharp knife.
The study was conducted in the US, not Australia, so we can't assume these exact figures reflect Australian children. But the questions it raises feel relevant to anyone thinking about how children are growing up today.
It is also important to consider the world that parents and carers are navigating now.
We are exposed to vastly more information about our children's safety than previous generations ever were. News is immediate and constant, and stories about accidents, crime, illness, online dangers, bullying and other risks are only ever a few taps away. Alongside that comes an endless stream of parenting advice telling us what we should be watching for, what we might be missing and what could potentially go wrong.
That doesn't mean parents and carers are becoming unnecessarily protective. In many ways, it means we are parenting with an awareness of risks that previous generations simply didn't have. When you are constantly reminded of what can happen, it is entirely understandable that letting a child walk a little further ahead, make their own plans or take a small risk can feel much harder than it once did.
So, this isn't about blaming parents, or suggesting that children were better off in some imagined "good old days". Keeping children safe is fundamental, and parents and carers should never feel guilty for being vigilant about their children.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐น๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ: ๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐ญ๐ฎ-๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ-๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐.
It is no coincidence that this is such an important age for us. These are years when children are beginning to stretch beyond the world of their parents, develop a stronger sense of who they are, make more of their own decisions and discover what they can do for themselves.
Which brings us to the other side of the conversation.
๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ด๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ?
Children need opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, navigate uncertainty, take responsibility and occasionally get things wrong. These experiences are part of how they develop confidence, resilience, independence and a sense of agency.
We feel incredibly lucky that we get to witness some of this at camp.
It might be a child sleeping away from home for the first time, working through a disagreement with a friend, taking responsibility for something that would usually be done for them, or attempting an activity they were convinced they couldn't do.
Sometimes it is simply the growing confidence that comes from being trusted to do something for themselves.
These can seem like small moments, but they can be significant for a developing child.
Because confidence isn't something we can simply tell a child they have. It grows through experience: ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, "๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐."
Perhaps that is the balance worth thinking about. How do we continue to give children the safety and support they need, while also creating enough space for them to discover what they are capable of?
We think the full poll is worth a read:
There's a big difference in how kids were raised 40 years ago and how they are today, evidenced by a new Harris Poll. Kids today are too sheltered so how can we make them more independent? "Anxious Generation" author Jonathan Haidt shares some tips.
