Does Atticus let his children run wild in to kill a mockingbird?

Atticus does not let his children run wild, though according to many of societies prominents, such as Mrs. Dubose, Miss Stephanie and Aunt Alexandra, he does. Atticus has a very interesting and discerning style of raising his children, focusing primarily on a modeling approach. He genuinely believes that if he first models for his children the proper attitudes and actions, and then discusses openly the reasons for acting, thinking and speaking, that he can influence the ways that his children think, act and speak.

Essentially what Atticus is doing is challenging his children to hold themselves accountable. It's an Excellent principle and would be applicable even today, but requires a very active parenting role. A parent cannot simply say, "don't do that!" The must instead discuss with the child why they cannot do things and then model those same actions themselves.