Independence Is Part of Successful Parenting
Parenting begins with responsibility for many decisions a child cannot yet make. Over time, care changes its form. We teach, protect, and practice with them partly so that more choices can eventually become theirs.
That makes independence one measure of success, though not a simple timetable or a single standard. Children develop at different rates and with different needs. Support can remain important throughout adult life without becoming control.
The shift asks parents to distinguish concern from authority. We may worry about a decision and still respect the adult's right to make it. We may offer experience and accept that advice is an offer, not a command.
Independence does not require less love. It asks love to become capable of recognizing another person's life as their own.