A few years ago, my family was going to walk down the street to the school playground a few blocks away. We live in a quiet, safe neighborhood where all of our children walk to school.

Right before we left, our baby needed a diaper change. Our two older kids left to go to the park and, unbeknownst to us initially, our three-year-old started following them. We finished with the baby and walked to catch up – but when we turned the corner, she was with a police officer.

The officer saw her walking down the sidewalk and, understandably, stopped to ask what she was doing. We caught up to him and explained, but the officer was very upset – even though we were about a block away and you could see the older siblings at the park just ahead. He warned my wife and me about kidnappers and wrote a report.

Other than having our names on a report somewhere, we got off OK. But situations like ours have gotten other parents in a lot of trouble. Danielle Meitiv and her husband were charged with neglect after their 10- and 6-year-old children walked to a park. Adrian Crook got a visit from child services for letting his four children, ages seven to 11, ride a city bus. A California father made his eight-year-old walk a mile home as a punishment for not doing his homework and was actually convicted of child endangerment. (My wife and I have made our son walk a mile or two home after misbehaving at church — a sentence I also served several times as a boy).

So how does the state balance reasonable childhood independence and parental rights while still protecting children from real neglect? Michigan lawmakers are working to do just that.

Senate Bills 735 and 736 — introduced by Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, and Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan — would clarify Michigan law to ensure that reasonable, age-appropriate childhood independence is not misclassified as child neglect or abuse.

This effort builds on growing national momentum. Just this week, Indiana’s governor signed similar legislation into law. Kansas is advancing comparable reforms after unanimous Senate approval. Utah has had this law on the books for years.

The bills refine Michigan’s child protection statutes by clarifying what neglect is – and what it is not. It would explicitly exempt independent activities from the definition of neglect when a child’s basic needs are met and the child is of sufficient age and maturity to avoid unreasonable harm. They ensure that parents cannot be charged under criminal endangerment statutes when their actions do not meet the clarified neglect standard.

In plain English: Letting your child walk to school, play at a nearby park, ride a bike around the neighborhood or wait briefly in a safe setting would not automatically trigger a neglect investigation.

This approach mirrors reforms first adopted in Utah in 2018. That law recognized that allowing children to engage in independent activities does not constitute neglect when done responsibly. Importantly, these reforms do not weaken protections against genuine abuse or dangerous behavior. They refine definitions, clarify penalties and defenses, and ensure that reasonable parental decisions are not prosecuted simply because cultural norms have shifted toward hyper-protection.

And that cultural shift is real. Cases across the country have shown how parents can face investigation – even prosecution – for actions that were routine just a generation ago. Meanwhile, long-term crime data show that children today are, in many measurable ways, safer than in past decades.

Here’s the hard truth: It is tough for children to develop into capable adults without developing independence. Overprotection has costs. Coddled children are less resilient, have less experience to make decision-making, and don’t get as much physical activity. Parents are in the best position to judge when their child is ready for greater freedom.

Michigan law already reflects balance in some areas, such as rules regarding leaving children unattended in vehicles. But in many other areas, statutes are silent. These bills bring clarity and predictability to the law – protecting families while maintaining safeguards against genuine neglect.

If Michigan wants to strengthen families, it should trust them. Reasonable childhood independence isn’t radical. It is how kids build resilience and truly grow up.

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