Posted on May 12th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — especially, today, moms! While you eat your burnt toast and funky eggs in bed (something, by the way, my kids never did for me), here’s news to brighten your day and life, from a Washington Post article: “Five Myths About Missing Children.” It’s by David Finkelhor, who was an extremely helpful and [...]
Filed under: Breaking news, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Miscellaneous | 14 Comments »
Posted on April 4th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! There’s the boogey man and then there’s the ice cream man. But thanks to a country suffused with predator panic, the two are fused together like the twin sticks of a Popsicle. It’s the same if you are guy and you want to work in day care, or as a birthday party clown, [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Miscellaneous, Sex Offender Issues, Uber Safety | 73 Comments »
Posted on March 31st, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Here’s a story from this scary, scary Easter season that I’m reprinting in full from NBCPhiladelphia.com, (with some commentary): WOMAN TRIES TO GIVE CANDY TO KID: POLICE Police are on the search for a woman who tried to give candy to a child Friday evening along a quiet residential road. [HOW DARE [...]
Filed under: Breaking news, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Media Madness, Miscellaneous, Sex Offender Issues | 95 Comments »
Posted on March 22nd, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers: This article is one of the best things I’ve ever read about our increasingly cruel, counter-productive sex offender laws — laws in place because of excess fear and excess pandering when it comes to our kids. It appears in City Pages, a Twin Cities alternative newsweekly, and focuses on Patty Wetterling, whose 11-year-old son Jacob [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Guest Post, Miscellaneous, Sex Offender Issues | 96 Comments »
Posted on March 18th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — Normally I don’t reprint whole stories from sites. Bad internet etiquette. BUT this story is so strange in its entirety, here goes: Scary false alarm puts Primrose School of Barker Cypress in lockdown by Tiffany Craig / KHOU 11 News CYPRESS, Texas — A mother got quite the scare after she saw a [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Miscellaneous, Worst-First Thinking | 122 Comments »
Posted on March 6th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — Just another note from the frontlines of our freaking-out country! Got this yesterday: . Dear Free-Range Kids: I found this story, currently going on in my greater neighborhood as I type this, incredibly alarmist. A little background: I live in a nice, average neighborhood in Seattle. We have a neighborhood blog that [...]
Filed under: Breaking news, Crazy Parents, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Miscellaneous, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Stupid Advice, Worst-First Thinking | 58 Comments »
Posted on February 21st, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — How I love being an “online influencer.” It means I get a ton of press releases from folks seeking publicity, including one that just came in suggesting I interview a particular “social media expert” regarding “How to Protect Your Family from Social Media.” I guess if this were a generation or two [...]
Filed under: Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Media Madness, Miscellaneous, Stupid Advice, Worst-First Thinking | 68 Comments »
Posted on February 6th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Can you EVER leave your child unattended for a few minutes in a public place? That’s today’s big question. – L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: Last night I took my 5-year-old son and almost 3-year-old daughter to Taco Bell. High class, I know. The restaurant was pretty busy, about five full tables [...]
Filed under: Child Protective Services, Crazy Parents, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Miscellaneous, Stupid Advice, Worst-First Thinking, Zingers and retorts | 185 Comments »
Posted on February 5th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — We’ve been chronicling the most appalling reactions to the Sandy Hook shooting, but this drill, at Carl Ben Eielson Middle School in Fargo, ND, was actually in place BEFORE Newtown! In fact, the school postponed it till about a week ago: A drill whereby the fire alarm was sounded and teachers were instructed to KEEP [...]
Filed under: Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Media Madness, Miscellaneous, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Stupid Advice, Worst-First Thinking | 103 Comments »
Posted on February 4th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Mothers bringing their older sons into the ladies room seems to be more common these days, unless maybe I’m just more aware of it because of this blog and my own take on things. Is it on the rise, in tandem with worst-first thinking? Really like to hear your take on it. [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger), Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous | 219 Comments »
