Jordan Peterson called out a common trap in extremely liberal parenting:
The idea that children are naturally perfect and creative, so any rules or social correction must be harmful. Parents step back, avoid boundaries, and justify it as “protecting their self-esteem” or “fostering individuation.”
He argues this is often just neglect in disguise.
True self-esteem isn’t purely internal. It comes largely from learning basic social skills — sharing, not whining, not gloating — so other kids and adults actually want them around. Without those, children become impulsive, anxious, and excluded.
Peterson says real freedom for a child isn’t chaos or “carte blanche.” It’s learning to play structured games with clear rules. Those rules aren’t oppression — they’re the foundation for genuine freedom and enjoyable social life.
Do you think extremely liberal parenting has swung too far toward unrestricted “freedom” at the expense of necessary structure and social rules?