I agree with all but the co-sleeping, at least for over toddler age. I grant that is a cultural difference, we do expect our children to become individuals, part of which why one of our own cultural signposts is creativity.
What the author describes really was the case in the US 50 years ago for the most part. No, we never had 45 minutes of class, then recess. Then again, the US really isn't 'in the middle' of test results either, when one removes students who wouldn't be administered those tests in Finland or most of the world.
http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359...rket-analysis/
The points I like very much are the emphasis on letting kids not only know frustration, but allowing them the freedom to meet and deal with danger. Climbing trees and handling knives is not beyond the ken of most children. We had those kinds of freedom and yes, there were some very dumb things we did, that could have had tragic consequences, but didn't. Yeah, we didn't do the same dumb thing twice. However, the opportunities for new dumb things never ran out, until about 10 or 11, when one could think, "Hey, this may be too dangerous, could be a problem..."
We road our bikes and walked across busy streets by 5 and 6. Silly moms, they taught us how. Part of the reason I think drivers have gotten so bad at intersections is the general lack of pedestrians, especially young ones. During the summer, we often packed lunches in bags and didn't return until dinner time. Yeah, always had change in pockets in case we needed to call home, never happened. By 7 we would ride our bikes sometimes nearly 8 miles to
The Old Graue Mill. Great place for kids, today schools take them for field trips. We figured it out on our own. Sure we went in the museum and watched the grinding into corn meal, but mostly we had a picnic and walked through the woods and along the creek. (Interesting, there were posted signs that the water was highly polluted, if in contact see a doctor for tetanus shot.) I guess we had the shots, cause we had lots of contact with the water. LOL!
There were days we also went north, rather than south, just going about 1.5 miles to
Wilder Park, where the library used to be. There still is
botanical gardens and a
museum of Lapidary Arts. Today the library is in new building, across from the park, but back then, we could spend the whole day playing in the park, having our picnic, and spending a few hours in the museum and library. If we wanted, a few more blocks took us to Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors or Walgreens with a soda fountain/dining area. There was a Stop & Shop, with weird European goods, we used to bother the workers with questions about strange meats and spices. Indeed, that was when I realized that everything food related wasn't just meat and potatoes.
The one area my mother wouldn't relent on was going to the movies without an adult, until 10. Considering the first time my friend and I did, we were bothered by an older man and the ushers wouldn't take us seriously, I understood.
Today I just don't see parents easily attempting to give their kids this type of freedom, the authorities may indeed be called in.