Guided independence isn't leaving children to it
Guided independence means letting a child lead while an adult offers hints and follows their pace, and research links it to secure attachment and stronger self-control.
By Graeme Brown · Nov 13, 2026
Quiz
What is Your Inner Child's Artist Type?
A 90-second creative blueprint for the part of you that still knows how to play, notice, make, and begin again.
Childhood & Growing Up
Childhood & Growing Up
In a meta-analysis of five decades of research on more than 160,000 children, spanking was linked to more…
-
Childhood & Growing Up
'Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle' is often credited to Plato, but its earliest known…
-
Childhood & Growing Up
Young adults who said their parents hovered over them reported less self-control, less sense of…
-
Childhood & Growing Up
Six-year-olds who spent more of their week in less-structured activities scored better on setting…
The Journal
The Journal
The National Retail Federation expects $1.5 billion on children's Halloween costumes this year, with 2.2…
- The Journal The Surgeon General's 2024 advisory found 48% of parents say most days their stress is completely…
- The Journal 48% of children aged 5 to 14 usually walked or biked to school in 1969 and 13% in 2009, federal…
-
The Journal
9 things older parents do that make their adult children call more often without ever being asked
More stories
-
Family LifeAsk a Boomer, a Gen Xer, a Millennial and a Gen Z what a mom’s job is, and you’ll get four very…
-
Family LifeWhen adult children keep coming home for the holidays without being asked, it often isn’t the food…
-
Family Life“We never had that in my day” and 7 other phrases that quietly push adult children away
-
Family Life7 things to stop saying to your adult child about their parenting, and what to say instead
-
Family LifeMany parents whose adult children rarely visit weren't cruel or distant, they just never stopped…
-
Family LifeMost people assume grandmothers respond to their grandchildren the way they respond to their own…
-
Family LifePeople who were spoiled as children often display these behaviors as adults
-
Family Life8 things parents of close-knit families never say at the dinner table
-
Family Life8 signs you did a good job as a parent, even if your kids took a different path than you expected
-
Family Life8 things to stop saying to your adult children, and what to say instead
-
Family LifeThe art of being a grandparent: 8 habits to leave behind
-
Family Life7 phrases to use when your adult child makes a choice you disagree with
Watch
Watch the family studio
Practical art, child development, and family psychology videos from The Artful Parent team.
The Secret Language of Teenagers (And Why You're Missing It)
The Family Psych
The Real Reason Adulthood Feels Empty
The Family Psych
This One Thing Is Causing Your Child's Anxiety
The Family Psych
The Real Reason Brooklyn Beckham Finally Snapped
The Family Psych
What's Really Happening Before Your Child Explodes
The Family Psych
The Truth Every Parent Needs to Hear
The Family Psych
The Hidden Cost of Making Childhood Easy
The Family Psych
A Mystery Illness Spread Through TikTok. The Cause Wasn't a Virus.
Psychology Says
The Viral Tape Craft Kids Can't Put Down
The Artful Parent
Newsletter
The Artful Parent
Family-life ideas and sharp reads, in your inbox.