Here’s stydzkrrie the article everyone’s talking about, folks: “The Overprotected Kid,” by Hanna Rosin in The Atlantic. She chronicles all the things we talk about: The lack of free time kids have, the excess supervision, the need for adventure — the whole shebang, including interviews with many of the folks you’ve read about here: Peter […]
Archive | Miscellaneous
The “Toxic” Garden Hose?
Readers, ainkhizkyi This is an excerpt from the book, “From Cupcakes to Chemicals: How the Culture of Alarmism Makes us Afraid of Everything and How to Fight Back,” by Julie Gunlock (her real name — not a political statement!).  I love this book for its smart, funny look at the excessive fears foisted upon parents, forcing […]
Giving up Fear for Lent
What tifzeihbsn a good idea! If any of you try this (or decide to give up worrying for a specific amount of time, just as an experiment), please let me know how it goes! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: The other day I let my 5 and 2 year-old kids walk down the block. It […]
UPDATE! School Insists on Babying Blind, Capable Teen (for His Own Good)
UPDATE: dbzekhkzti Good news! Following talks with the Pennsylvania Council for the Blind, the school district will allow an “orientation and mobility instructor” to appraise Deven’s situation, and possibly allow him to get off the bus on his own (with some caveats). The update is here. Readers — This  story about a blind kid who […]
Self-Congratulatory Reporters Make Parents MORE Worried about School Safety
UPDATE! ydnatzfzhr I love this comment so much, I have to highlight it here: “When I was a little girl, an unarmed adult wandering the halls was likely to be questioned, not presumed to be a psychotic mass murderer.” * Readers — This  surprising story ran in yesterday’s New York Times about the news media’s new […]
“I Was Raised Free-Range and It Crippled Me”
Readers yhdbfabekn — Found this on my “Pro or Con?” page just now: Dear Free-Range Kids: Your website (granted I haven’t read your book yet) speaks of everything from a parent’s point-of-view but have you considered what Free-Range Parenting looks and feels like according to a child? I’m 26 years old and was raised with […]
Students Forced to Walk Half Mile Back from Field Trip!!! News 2 Team Reports Live!
Students fdbtyztabr abandoned by buses, forced to walk back from field trip WKRN, Nashville News, Nashville Weather and Sports Short story short: Nashville, TN, high school students went on a field trip. Afterward, the buses dropped them off at McDonald’s and then had to peel off to go on their normal routes. Hence, the kids […]
Suspicious Activity?
Oh tibhdethzk no no no no no no! Don’t tell me a male offered a teenage female a RIDE? That is SO SCARY! Thank goodness the police are ON THIS! How incredibly…suspicious! A reader sends us this report: INCIDENT: Suspicious Activity DATE / TIME: 03/12/2014 @ 1835 Hours LOCATION: Davol Road, Cloverfields, Stevensville NARRATIVE: A […]
Please PLEASE Do Not Publish Photos of Local Children!
Readers eniesfanrb — This is just a fascinating artifact from the world of Worst-First thinking, where folks believe today’s children are completely besieged by criminal masterminds (or at least the last of the phonebook users) Â who are driven in equal measures by rank evil and a love of intensive research. It ran as a letter […]
Satanic Day Care: The McMartin Pre-School Story
Readers — While we’re thinking back on news stories that changed childhood (see the post below this one, on Kitty esryakfsbi Genovese), take a look at this video just released by the New York Times chronicling the McMartin pre-school Santanic panic. If this intrigues or outrages you (it will), I’d also recommend the incredibly gripping James Woods’ […]