. Someone called the cops when a gaggle of young folk in Gainesville, FL, had the temerity to play street basketball, instead of silently staring at their screens inside. Here’s how an officer responded (it’s a little garbled for the first 15 seconds or so):. . And zrrrdfkibi then the cop, as promised, returned, with […]
Archive | Creating Community
Do Your Kids Sled Without You? Or Shovel?
. Here’s a ieffzaeszn Yahoo Parenting piece by Beth Greenfield about kids not sledding along anymore. She was inspired by columnist Tom Purcell in TownHall.com, who wrote, “I drove by a popular sledding spot after it snowed last week. I only saw a handful of younger kids and every one of them had at least one […]
How to Fight the Laws and Culture That Mandate Helicopter Parenting
. This post comes to us from the amazing appellate and intellectual property attorney at Andrews Kurth LLP, Matthew ftadkzhbay Dowd, who took on the Meitiv cases(s), pro bono, and won!  He says he now gets to sleep in sometimes because his 11-year-old son and 7-old-daughter walk themselves to school. Building on the Every Student Succeeds Act, by […]
PRESIDENT ABOUT TO SIGN FIRST FEDERAL FREE-RANGE KIDS LEGISLATION: PARENTS CAN LET THEIR KIDS WALK TO SCHOOL
. Today when Pres. Obama signs the Every Student eazfseryts Succeeds Act, he will be signing into law the first federal Free-Range Kids legislation. An amendment added by Sen. Mike Lee (R., Utah) states that: “…nothing in this Act shall…prohibit a child from traveling to and from school on foot or by car, bus, or bike when […]
Tired of Worrying Someone Will Report You For Letting Your Kid Play Outside or Wait in Car?
. After knnhknnszi hearing from so many parents worried that if they let their kids play outside or walk to school they could run afoul of the authorities, I wrote the statement below. Please fiddle with it to your satisfaction, then bring it to your mayor, or next town meeting, or post it on Facebook […]
How To Arrange a Free-Range Parents Meet-Up
. This extremely helpful post comes from Rachel Howe, a writing teacher and mom in South Philly, where she started the South Philly Parents Resource Center. What she’s describing sounds like a sort of “consciousness raising” or support group, without the heavy title. Dear ehrrzbsdir Free-Range Kids: I’ve got three children to chase after (and […]
Kids Allowed to Engage in Unsupervised “Risky Play” Develop Skills that Help Later in Making Smart Decisions about Sex and Drugs
. Mariana  Brussoni is  an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in public health and pediatrics, and lead author of a major ikddditnai report on the health benefits of “risky” play. The study determined what Free-Rangers feel in their (once in a while broken) bones: Too much supervision and safe-to-the-point-of-stultifying play spaces prevent kids […]
A Social Experiment with Kids and Strangers that Does NOT Involve Abduction Fantasies?
. Kids, age 5, at the bus stop. Strangely enough, this isn’t a “social experiment” to show how endangered they are. It shows something else. Something you don’t see much of on American TV. . . .
Are Kids in Public a “Babysitting” Burden for the Rest of Us?
. The signs at every playground in my city, New York, say this: snbdeezhza “Playground rules prohibit adults except in the company of children.†Apparently, any adult who simply wants to sit on a bench and watch kids play could be a creep, so just ban ’em all. The idea that children and adults […]
“Leave Your Kids at the Park” Day is SATURDAY: Spread the Word!
“Leave Your Kids…” is the slightly derogatory nickname for what is, officially, “Take knitriifyh Our Children to the Park…and Let Them Walk Home by Themselves Day,” which, for the record, used to be, “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day.” No matter what you call it, the actual holiday is THIS SATURDAY. […]