Posted on May 9th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — Here’s a phenom unbeknownst to me (a mom of boys): the de-adventuring of American Girl dolls. Once marketed as pint-size players in America’s great sweep of history, now they go to the spa. According to Amy Schiller in The Atlantic: With a greater focus on appearance, increasingly mild character development, and innocuous political [...]
Filed under: Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Uber Safety | 89 Comments »
Posted on April 15th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — This note comes to us from Nathalie Delage up north, where “Canadian Tire” apparently sells paranoia, too! – L. Dear Free Range Kids: Have you seen these baby carseat videocameras? They stream live video from the backseat to a monitor you attach to your windshield like a GPS. I wonder what exactly a [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Uber Safety | 95 Comments »
Posted on April 11th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Folks! This oped of mine recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal. Afterwards, I heard from guess who? Hint: She’s Chief Operating Officer of a very popular social network — and a Free-Range Kids fan! Here’s to spreading the “Kids are not in constant danger” message…perhaps via social media? – L LEAN IN AND [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Media Madness, Miscellaneous | 157 Comments »
Posted on April 2nd, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — As many of you know, when I’m not busy posting, I am often off to give a keynote. It’s how I make my living. (Not by blogging? No. Not by blogging.) I’ve spoken everywhere from Microsoft, to the Sydney Opera House, to the Yale Child Study Center (twice!). In the next two months [...]
Filed under: GOOD News, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Zingers and retorts | 12 Comments »
Posted on March 19th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hey Readers — As I prepare to speak Thursday night as kickoff for the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s conference in Boston (public invited!), here’s some toy research I can get behind. It comes to us by way of Fred Schueler & Aleta Karstad, who describe themselves as an “unemployable naturalist couple, whose unschooled daughter [...]
Filed under: Fun, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous | 40 Comments »
Posted on March 15th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Over at CommonGood.org, I’ve got an essay about the family that found a paring knife at the bottom of the birthday cake they bought for their 2-year-old at Walmart. The teary-eyed father lamented, ”We’re not going to get that second birthday back ever.” Ohmigod–he’s right! How is anyone expected to recover from a blow [...]
Filed under: Breaking news, Crazy Parents, Insurance repercussions, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Media Madness, Miscellaneous | 72 Comments »
Posted on March 1st, 2013 by lskenazy
Thank goodness for the Walk Mee! Now children will finally learn how to walk. All they needed was a little extra $29.99 help — and here it is, at last! And since they will reach their “key development milestones faster” — and we all know it’s a race — that must mean they will be ahead [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Stupid Advice | 50 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 20th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Here’s a piece of mine that ran in The Wall Street Journal. Woof! (Doggie for, “Enjoy!”) – L. Helicopter Parents — Meet Helicopter Pet-Owning by Lenore Skenazy If you’re considering getting a pet at this time of year, as many folks do, you may find the rescue shelters a little pickier than [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Other Places Other Eras, Stupid Advice, Uber Safety, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 130 Comments »
Posted on February 19th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — As we continue to document the infantilization of young people, including how and why this trend began, here’s a bright trail to one of the culprits: The insurance industry. Remember, insurance has nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking all freedom and responsibility away from minors. If kids were all in [...]
Filed under: Infantilizing young folk, Insurance repercussions, Marketing Madness and Gadgets, Miscellaneous, Stupid Advice, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 130 Comments »
