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Navigating the In Between

Helping children find age-appropriate independence

By Annie Willems August 30, 2019

This is a sponsored review.

We're at this weird stage of parenting our youngest.

She's 6. Yet she desires the independence of a 16 year old.

We've really struggled to navigate ways to feed that part of her personality in a healthy way, while still being realistic that she has the decision making skills of a young child. As the youngest of four kids, she has amazed us with her strong personality. And we so desperately want to encourage her to take age-appropriate steps toward feeling strong and capable as a human.

But how?!

She is fully convinced that she can cook all our meals. We don't fully trust her with sharp objects and fire.

She is sure she can stay home alone. We're confident that the police wouldn't agree with that.

She is trying to convince us that she's ready for her own phone. We're 100% positive a phone isn't necessary at this point.

Yet we want her to experience independence in an age appropriate way.

We were recently introduced to Relay- and we may have found the solution to providing opportunities for independence while still providing hands-on parenting of our 6 year old. Relay is a kids phone alternative. Used similarly to a 'Walkie Talkie', it is a screen-free device with 4G LTE and a GPS tracker. 

With the Parent App downloaded to my phone, I can send my daughter outside to play while keeping a close eye on where she's wandering. At any moment, I can click a button and send a message to her Relay device. She can hold down the button on her cute blue device and send a message right back to me!

We charged it, took a few minutes to set it up, and off she went! She meandered around our property and then strolled a little ways down the street. I received a number of messages with her precious little voice, just checking in and saying hi.

And she was so proud of herself.

As a parent, it feels so fulfilling to step outside of my comfort zone and offer my child the true gift of independence!