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# Mere Fidelity: Free Range Parenting
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/mere-fidelity-free-range-parenting/
- Published: 2015-04-28T14:25:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-20T20:30:44.000Z
- Description: Mere Fidelity: Free Range Parenting
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Matthew Lee Anderson, Mere Fidelity

A national debate on the nature and limits of childhood is currently underfoot, and as only one of us has children we decided to weigh in. We mentioned a number of articles on the show. For an overview of the Maryland case, [read this](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/free-range-flap-in-maryland-fans-flames-of-national-debate-on-parenting/2015/04/18/ebc10248-e47e-11e4-81ea-0649268f729e%5Fstory.html?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). [Megan McArdle provides a handy list of seven reasons we hate free range parenting](http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-13/seven-reasons-we-hate-free-range-parenting?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Michael Lewis takes on what happens to children when they don't play](http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/09/children-who-never-play?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). Finally, [Michael Brendan Dougherty examines why we can't be free range kids anymore](http://theweek.com/articles/546752/why-may-impossible-raise-free-range-kids?ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Finally: [*Thank you again* to everyone who has given so generously to us](http://www.gofundme.com/merefidelity?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). New equipment is in the mail, so we'll start using it here soon. We are so grateful for the enormous kindness many of you have shown to us.

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Finally, as always, follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/DZRishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Alastair](http://www.twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and[Andrew](http://www.twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. And thanks to [Timothy Motte](http://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing work.