I’m an American mom who lived in Prague for 2 years. Children in the US have far less freedom than Czech children. – Yahoo News

Elizabeth Long

I'm a mom to two young boys and recently spent two years living in Prague.

Playgrounds in Prague are not for the faint of heart, and they make the ones in the US look boring.

Czech parents offer their children more freedom to explore and grow into themselves.

I've spent the past two years in Prague, and it's been fascinating to observe some of the different approaches to parenting as compared to what I've encountered in the United States.

As the mother of two young boys, it's always fascinated me how many different approaches there are to parenting.

I sometimes wonder if I'm too involved in the actions of my children, and it was through my observations of parents in Prague that I came to appreciate how different styles of parenting can affect a child's ability to explore, grow, and develop a sense of acceptable risk-taking.

The first difference that leaped out to me was the emphasis that Czech parents placed on spending time outdoors with their children.

I was told there is no such thing as bad weather. It's simply a matter of bad clothing if one is uncomfortable being outside in certain conditions.

Families could often be found hiking in rain, strolling with baby carriages in frigid temperatures, and embracing the priceless gems of all the nature surrounding them.

While many families in the US value spending time outdoors, my observation was that schedules often didn't permit lengthy outings, and that the weather could impede the willingness of children and parents to participate.

Another difference I saw was that Czech parents seemed to have a higher threshold for acceptable risk-taking by their children.

Playgrounds are a perfect example. They typically contain a climbing structure known as a spiderweb imagine a pyramid with each side constructed from a rope spiderweb soaring roughly 20 feet in the air as well as various balance challenges and other obstacles that would send many Americans running for their lawyers if such structures were to appear in the United States.

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Kids ride public transportation at ages far younger than in the United States.

They stay at home alone. They bike without chaperones. They hike, climb, fall, get hurt, and get up and do it again because they learn not to let the fall scare them.

Czech parents appear to let their children push boundaries in ways that the "helicopter parenting" style often found in the United States doesn't allow.

A final difference I saw was that Czech parents appeared to offer their children greater freedom to explore. Children run around neighborhoods freely. They scamper through forests and run across fields, often being far from parental eyesight.

Some restaurants offer play areas near the dining section, but many times out of view from the table.

Also, parents can often be found in prominent outdoor areas and cultural venues with children exploring nearby, but not underfoot.

In contrast, I found that my own metaphorical leash was tighter on my children in the United States. Perhaps there was a greater sense of personal safety in Prague. Perhaps I'm simply more attuned after my time abroad.

Regardless, I've repeatedly found myself tightening the hold on my kids since our return, and it's with an effort that I force myself to recall the lessons learned over the past two years to allow me to gift the greater freedom they desire to explore.

Different countries have different approaches to parenting, and we can learn from one another if we're willing to remain open-minded.

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I'm an American mom who lived in Prague for 2 years. Children in the US have far less freedom than Czech children. - Yahoo News