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It's spring -- a great time for kids to play outside, walk to the store or even climb a tree. And three states -- Florida, Georgia and Missouri -- have just passed legislation declaring it is not parental neglect or child endangerment to let kids do that.

Hallelujah!

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed his state's bill into law this week. The Florida and Missouri bills now await their governors' signatures as well. When all three states' laws are signed, they'll join the eight others that have enacted similar laws: Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Montana and Virginia.

These "Reasonable Childhood Independence" laws address a kind of crazy problem: Parents are sometimes investigated, or even arrested for neglect, simply for taking their eyes off their kids. That's one reason it's so rare to see children playing outside now. Adults worry someone could call 911 and report them for trusting their kids with some unsupervised time.

But there's hope! Let Grow, the nonprofit I cofounded, has been working to make it "easy, normal and legal" to give kids back some reasonable independence since 2017. We know what YOU know in your heart of hearts and childhood memories: Kids gain the confidence, the street smarts, the resilience and the social skills they need when they are trusted to do some stuff on their own. We're talking about stuff you probably used to do -- run an errand, walk to a friend's house. Play.

One of my Let Grow cofounders, the psychologist Peter Gray, has documented the sad but clear connection between the decline in childhood independence and the rise in kids' anxiety and depression. Micromanagement saps anyone's spirit.

The "Reasonable Childhood Independence" laws backed by Let Grow and allied groups across the political spectrum clarify that just because a child is "unsupervised" doesn't mean they are "neglected."

This year, our efforts got an additional boost from yet another Let Grow cofounder, Jonathan Haidt, and his bestseller The Anxious Generation. His book calls for passage of reasonable childhood legislation: "The government's job is to protect children from abuse, not from the everyday activities of childhood."

Georgia state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, one of the bill's sponsors, said that these days, "we should be doing more to allow our kids to be free to hang out with neighbors and friends and even go to the grocery store when Mom and Dad think they can handle it. I applaud Gov. Kemp and my fellow legislators for advancing childhood independence in Georgia."

As do I. Florida's House bill was cosponsored by state Rep. Monique Miller (R), who was inspired by a talk by Haidt in which he praised Let Grow's efforts to enact reasonable independence protections. State Rep. Leonard Spencer (D) cosponsored the bill, with state Sen. Erin Grall (R) sponsoring the state Senate's companion bill, co-introduced by state Sen. Barbara Sharief (D). Talk about bipartisan!

And in Missouri, the state legislature passed a 66-page consolidated child welfare-focused bill that included "Reasonable Childhood Independence" provisions, thanks to an effort led by state Rep. Josh Hurlbert (R).

Next up, we hope? Let Grow is currently working with groups in Pennsylvania and Michigan. And we are always open to other states where parents are sick of feeling they have to second-guess everyday decisions like, "Can I send my kid to the park?"

Parents deserve the freedom to raise independent kids, so long as they are not putting them in serious and obvious danger. Kids? They deserve the freedom to shout a happy, "Bye, mom!" as they head out to play -- and grow.

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Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a contributing writer at Reason.com, and author of "Has the World Gone Skenazy?" To learn more about Lenore Skenazy (Lskenazy@yahoo.com) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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