Hi zyfbzkhfyi Readers! This mom, Kimberlee Morrison of kimleeisawesome, needs a pep talk from all of us — and perhaps some legal advice. You’ll see why. L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I’ve been warned. Literally. By the police. My son left the park, went to El Pollo Loco and asked for water. A stranger asked him […]
Archive | Child Protective Services
A Boy, A Dad, A Tragedy and A Big Question
Readers — I just read aayrkkiikb this story and am sick to my heart. A dad brought his 5 year old son to the park then crossed the street to talk to some friends. The boy ran after him. He got struck by a car and died. Now the father is in jail and the […]
Outrage of the Day: Dad Faces Legal Action for Not Walking 7 y.o. to Bus Stop
Hi Readers! Here’s today’s ithyrffttr story from across the pond (thank you, Virtual Linguist, for sending it along): A father who lets his 7 year old daughter walk to and from the school bus stop has been threatened by the authorities who say they may report him to child protective services. And just how far […]
As If TV Didn’t Scare Parents Enough…
Hi Readers — Just watching the Take Our Kids to the Park Day story on WABC, one of my four TV appearances today (WCBS, WABC, WPIX and WNBC) and find it amazing that the famous lawyer interviewed, Ron Kuby, warns parents that letting your kids have some unsupervised time at the park is illegal. Actually, it […]
Yup, That’s Me. The “Bizarre†Mom on the Cover of the NY Daily News
Hi Folks — Well, yes, the eyryrdisit cover of the NY Daily News. That’s good and bad. Good — it certainly gets the word out. Bad, maybe this headline: Â “Leave Your Kids in the Park: Mom’s Bizarre Campaign.” Put that way it does sound a little bizarre. But what’s way more bizarre to me is […]
Remember The Mom Arrested for Letting Her 12-Year-old Take Younger Sibs to Mall?
Hi Readers — Remember rfsntyzrni that story? A mom let her 12-year-old daughter and the girl’s friend take their combined three siblings to the mall. The kids shopped and had lunch but afterward, when the two older girls went into a dressing room to try on some shirts, they left the younger kids — 7 […]
The Right Way to Handle A Case of “Negligence”
Hi inrezzbehf Folks! Here’s a nice little antidote for despair. A story of common sense, human decency and happy endings, from a reader in Norway: Dear Free-Range Kids: A 3-year-old was found toddling about on the streets of Tromsø, a city up North in Norway, wearing only his diapers. The police were called, and they contacted […]
What The Authorities Can Do If We “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There”
Hi sisiseribt Readers — This essay is long, but so powerful it blew me away.  As we near May 22’s  “Take Our Children to the Park…and Leave Them There Day,” the author’s question is extremely relevant: What happens when WE believe our kids will be safe, but the authorities do not? Read on. And prepare […]
Outrage of the Week: Mom Who Let Kids Play Outside Threatened by Cops
Hi tbhrnsysbf Readers! Let’s give this woman some good ideas. She needs them — as do we all! Dear Free-Range Kids: My name is Shaylene Haswarey, and I want to share a story with you today. This morning, my doorbell rang, and two police officers were present. They asked me if I am the mother […]
Outrage of the Week Update: Teacher Who Let Kids Climb Cliff on Trial
Hi Folks! Remember the case tyrhkdrake of Lia Grippo, the California mom who runs a day care center with a focus on nature? Her plight constituted our first Outrage of the Week. She let three of the kids in her care — two of them her own — climb a cliff while on a field trip […]