Nowadays parents give more freedom to their children than in

the past. Is it a positive or negative development?

In recent years, parents have grown more conscious of the importance of allowing
their children to have increased independence. Despite regarding this tendency as
largely welcome, I do also believe that it has a drawback as well.
A notable upside is that young children are highly likely to develop an outgoing
personality should they be granted more control over their own lives. Left to their own
devices, these minors get to form relationships with whomever they please to,
thereby expanding their circle of friends. In this way, they tend to experience the
enjoyment of having a fulfilling social life, which makes them more of an extrovert
than an introvert. Of course, such sociable children are expected to have a better
mental health in their adult life.
An added benefit is the fact that the young who are not strictly controlled have the
opportunity to go after their passion. With a moderate amount of supervision over
them, these adolescents can, for example, practice a sport they are keenly interested
in or take art classes which appeal to them. By having the freedom of engaging in
what gives them genuine satisfaction, they are more liable to succeed than if they
were to be coerced into an activity that they do not really like. This is yet another
possible advantage for children who are not under strict parental control.
Nevertheless, it is also worth noting that giving children absolute freedom might
result in them going astray. We all know the dangers existing in our society today:
drug addiction, dangerous religious sects, to name but a few. A case in point is a late
teenage neighbor of mine who, due to lack of parental control, managed to go to
Syria after coming into contact with ISIL supporters and died therein fighting for this
militant group. Had he received due attention from his parents, he would perhaps be
alive today.
In conclusion, there are more substantial reasons to argue that letting children enjoy
more freedom is a mostly commendable development; however, there is also the
possibility that children will choose the wrong path.
(Word count: 349; timing: 50 min)
Eynar Hajizadeh