Posted on February 8th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers – Here’s the latest from our friends down under, where the national pastime seems to have switched from throwing shrimp on the barbie to throwing common sense on there and gleefully watching it go up in flames. (Don’t touch! Barbecue glowing red may be HOT.) – L. KIDS will be banned from blowing [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Germs, Miscellaneous, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Stupid Advice | 54 Comments »
Posted on January 18th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — Next time you are at a restaurant, please remember that a lot of people have touched the menu before you, which means it is harboring germs. So wash your hands when you’re done with it, and make sure it never touches your plate or your utensils. Also, do not touch the ketchup bottle [...]
Filed under: Germs, Miscellaneous, Worst-First Thinking | 85 Comments »
Posted on August 30th, 2012 by lskenazy
From the Purell e-mail blast I just got: Your little ones are headed back to school and so are millions of germs! I’m leaving aside all the nasty things I want to say about how we are MADE of germs and must get ACCUSTOMED to germs and when did start treating everyday life like [...]
Filed under: Germs, Marketing Madness and Gadgets | 104 Comments »
Posted on January 12th, 2012 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! I thought the analogy about overreacting, below, was great, which is why I’m posting it here. I have also long sensed a connection between overprotecting our kids from “strangers” and overprotecting their bodies from “strangers” — i.e., germs. Either way, kids get one single, isolating message: “Anything beyond your immediate circle (of bacteria [...]
Filed under: Germs | 153 Comments »
Posted on October 27th, 2011 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! Sometimes I think that in our uber-safe society, poor scribes are locked in a room and told they can’t come out until they dream up some new worry — no matter how far-fetched — to caution folks about. (My current fave is the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s apple bobbing cautions, below.) That’s [...]
Filed under: Germs, Guest Post, Stupid Advice | 129 Comments »
Posted on August 29th, 2011 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Nothing, as you know, is safe enough for children. Not notebook paper (as we saw a few posts below). Not toddling (as evidenced by the existence of the ThudGuard). And not old-fashioned spoons (which explains the kiddie spoons that change color when food is “too hot.”) And now, it turns out, not [...]
Filed under: Germs, Media Madness, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Uber Safety | 232 Comments »
Posted on March 11th, 2011 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! Well, I was miffed a while back about the rules against BRANCHES at the school in New Jersey. But the rules at THIS pre-k make Jersey seem like the garden state! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: At my pre-school we can fail inspection if the children take off their jackets and put them [...]
Filed under: Germs, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Uber Safety | 93 Comments »
Posted on January 28th, 2011 by lskenazy
Hi Readers: Here we go again. For the sake of the children (somehow), schools are looking at whether they should banish class pets. After all, they could spread DISEASE! And they are (somehow) a liability! And ________________! (Fill in the blank with something else bad they do. I know that’s kind of hard, but if [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Germs, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Uber Safety | 145 Comments »
Posted on December 9th, 2010 by lskenazy
Hi Readers: Let kids eat dirt? Yes! At least, that’s my take-away from reading this thought-provoking article. It discusses the work of Emory neuroscientist Charles Raison, MD, who studies the link between cleanliness and depression. His hypothesis is that maybe young people are experiencing more asthma, allergies and even depression because they are less exposed to the benign [...]
Filed under: Germs, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Uncategorized | 59 Comments »
Posted on November 10th, 2010 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! Here’s a note from a North Carolina farm mom/ EMT-technician-in-training Stevie Taylor who blogs at ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com. She’s taking night school classes with the leaders of tomorrow. Such as they are. –L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I was pleased to teach one of the college kids in class a lesson last week. He was asking fellow [...]
Filed under: Germs, Helicopter Effect on Kids | 57 Comments »
