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How to let your kids go – so they can grow | Lenore Skenazy | How to Be a Better Human | TED

“How do you raise confident and capable children in a seemingly scary and unsafe world? According to Lenore Skenazy, the solution is simple yet controversial — you leave the kids alone. Lenore is the president of Let Grow and the founder of the Free Range Kids Movement where she argues that parents don’t need to…

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“How do you raise confident and capable children in a seemingly scary and unsafe world? According to Lenore Skenazy, the solution is simple yet controversial — you leave the kids alone. Lenore is the president of Let Grow and the founder of the Free Range Kids Movement where she argues that parents don’t need to hover over their kids as much because they’ll be more than okay — they’ll thrive. Chris and Lenore discuss why overprotecting kids can backfire, how parents might be unintentionally stifling children’s innate curiosity, and why one of the best tools to teach kids is to step away and let them learn and problem-solve themselves.

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Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)
Guest: Lenore Skenazy (Instagram: @lenoreskenazy_freerange | LinkedIn: @lenoreskenazy | Website: )

Links
Instagram: @letgroworg
LinkedIn: @letgrow
Join Let Grow (free!):
Raising Independent Kids Facebook Group
Free Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow
Lenore’s TED Talk

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7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. @katherinemoore52

    October 1, 2025 at 11:11 am

    I’m an old hippie mama so I gave my children lots of freedom… I wanted them to explore, take risks, use their imagination… My parents raised me this way as well. I’ve done in home family services and I tried to pass this message on to Moms and Dads. Thank you for this great video!

  2. @futuretechnzone

    October 1, 2025 at 11:15 am

    This hits hard… parenting really is the art of slowly learning to let go. The toughest part is knowing when your help is actually holding them back. Anyone else struggle with that balance? 🤔

  3. @charleswinshaw8406

    October 1, 2025 at 11:46 am

    Boarding school

  4. @KMHill

    October 1, 2025 at 12:22 pm

    How to be a Better Human and Chris Duffy so deserve a nice set like this! Chris Duffy is such a great host for this show. This show is far and away my favouite feature of TED.

  5. @js1879

    October 1, 2025 at 12:27 pm

    I try to be that parent but my kids struggle with independent play. I dont know if because they were born during covid and we were always around them due to social distancing but im trying to get them to rely on themselves for play and the smallest of tasks.

  6. @bjulalula9537

    October 1, 2025 at 4:04 pm

    Okay, i understand that. And i think, learning independece is part of childrens rights. But what i do not like is this gloryfication of “parents back in the time” bla bla. All studies show, that teens and young adults nowadays have a tighter and more loving relationship with their parents than in former years.

  7. @ilove2929

    October 1, 2025 at 11:09 pm

    In this society we dont trust anyone for some reason, fear dont just show up, fix the problem

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