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Is it Time for a Free Range Parenting Bill in Michigan?

Utah recently became the first state in the country to pass a law legalizing “free-range parenting.” The bill amends the definition of neglect to say that it is not considered neglect for a parent to allow their child to walk to or from school, play at a playground, or sit in a car unattended. According the New York Times, the bill doesn’t specify an age but states that ‘permitting a child, whose basic needs are met and who is of sufficient age and maturity to avoid harm or unreasonable risk of harm, to engage in independent activities’ such as going to and from school by walking, running or bicycling, going to nearby stores or recreational facilities and playing outside.”

The bill’s sponsor, Utah State Representative Brad Daw explains, “The law says that you can’t just call authorities if you see a child playing alone in the park. It frees up authorities from investigating these nuisance calls while allowing them to focus on children who are actually being neglected.”

The free-range parenting movement has been around for a while. It was coined free-range parenting by Lenore Skenazy, who made headlines when she allowed her 9-year-old to ride the New York subway alone. Parents in Maryland were also investigated after allowing their children to play at a park and walk home alone. Cases of CPS overreach have made the news time and time again.

People no longer understand what neglect means. By spelling it out in law, parents and authorities can be free from unnecessary investigations. A parent knows their own children and should be able to decide when they are able to do things unsupervised. Cases like the ones in New York and Maryland have prompted parents and lawmakers in Utah to say enough is enough. It’s time we add Michigan to the list of states that puts parental rights first.

While Michigan laws are better than some other states, there is gray area on what is neglect and what isn’t. Furthermore, society has shifted to a mindset that it is better to be over-cautious and investigate a family, even when they have done nothing wrong. This mindset needs to change. A family should be free to parent their children the way they see best. Lawmakers can create this change in culture by making laws that support parents’ rights.

One of my campaign goals, is to improve and reform Child Protective Services in Michigan. Too often people are investigated for trivial reasons, while children who are being abused get ignored. Reducing the number of homes visited over unwarranted reports would free up resources for true cases of abuse or neglect. In addition, it would create awareness. It would let people know that CPS is not meant to be a tattle-tale system for parenting differences. It is not government’s role to tell parents how to raise their children. Unless there is a substantiated reason to be concerned, a parent should be able to let their child play!

If you support a Free-Range Parenting Bill in Michigan, we want to hear from you. Please come out to our event Michigan Moms for Malowney.

Should Co-Sleeping Be Illegal In Michigan?

According to Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services, “a baby dies every three days in Michigan and these deaths are 100% preventable. “These are totally healthy babies that die because they’re placed either on their stomachs, or they’re sharing a bed with somebody, or they’re sleeping on a couch with somebody, and those numbers haven’t gone down in years,” said Colin Parks, state manager for Michigan’s Child Protective Services.

Michigan says that all these sleep deaths are preventable. In 2014 Governor Snyder signed the Infant Safe Sleep Act which requires hospitals and health care providers to give parents information on safe sleep practices and the risks associated with dangerous safe sleep practices such as co-sleeping.

The Safe Sleep Act recommends that baby;

• Sleep on her back
• Sleep in a crib, bassinet, or pack n play
• Never sleep in an adult bed
• Sleep without blankets or objects in the crib
• Breastfeed
• Moms should not smoke or drink alcohol after babies birth

Up until we started researching SIDS, infant deaths were viewed as unexplainable and now we know better. According to MDHHS Division for Vital Records & Health Statistics, most infant deaths (60%) are caused by accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed. If this is the case, wouldn’t it make sense to make co-sleeping illegal in Michigan?  We have car seat laws after all that protect babies.

Does the government know best when it comes to baby sleep?

I believe parents should be able to make their own informed decisions about their child’s sleep arrangements. Not only should they be able to decide how their child sleeps, but all child rearing decisions should be up to the parents. The government influences and tells us how to parent every day in ways we may not even be aware of, from how our kids are born, to how they sleep, eat, and are educated. Parents should be able to weigh the risks and benefits for themselves and make their own informed decisions.

For decades parents were told to put their babies to sleep on their stomachs, but in the last 14 years parents have been taught to put their children on their backs to sleep. While I agree with the logic behind the Back to Sleep campaign personally, there are reasons to believe that the Back to Sleep campaign has not been as effective as the government would lead you to believe. Several studies suggest that the decrease in SIDS deaths has more to do with changes in how SIDS deaths are classified. In other words, now we know that these deaths were accidental suffocations and not SIDS. This is even mentioned in Michigan’s Safe Sleep report.

Michigan’s Safe Sleep Report states that out of 871 deaths reviewed, 86% of the cases were preventable. Keep in mind that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says says 100 percent of them were preventable. As many as 39% of these deaths may be directly related to alcohol intoxication. Of course sleeping in a bed while impaired is not safe. The research into safe sleep is limited because it doesn’t compare safe co-sleeping practices with unsafe practices. As the purpose of my blog is to educate you on the government and parenting, I will not go into safe co-sleeping practices, other than to say that co-sleeping when done correctly is natural, safe, and provides mom and baby many benefits not mentioned in Michigan’s Safe Sleep report.

Do regulations like this even matter?

According to the La Leche League, while mothers often report that they don’t bed share, 60-75 percent of breastfeeding moms will bed share eventually, at least some of the time.” Why? Moms get tired. Following government regulations won’t keep them from falling asleep but may in fact put baby at higher risk than if she just fell asleep while nursing in bed. Falling asleep on a couch or in a chair with a baby is not a safe co-sleeping practice. In fact, 70% of the moms in this Safe Sleep report did have a crib, bassinet or pack n play. Furthermore, according to the La Leche League 44% of mothers have reported falling asleep while breastfeeding in a chair or on a sofa. The bed is a safer place to fall asleep with a baby. Mothers naturally move into a position called the cuddle curl which naturally protects baby while mom is breastfeeding.

Does the government know the best sleep practices? Or should parents be able to decide how to put their own babies to sleep?

If you are a mom who believes the government should get out of the business of telling us how to parent, I would like to meet you. Please come out to our Michigan Moms for Malowney event on May 7th at Squibb Coffee and Wine Bar.