Posted on April 18th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Folks! This missive comes to us from Del Shannon, a civil engineer who designs and constructs (and sometimes even deconstucts) dams around the world. When not damming, he has written award-winning essays and children’s stories. His first children’s book was the serialized novella The Map, published in several newspapers. Captain Disaster is his second, a novel. Del [...]
Filed under: Guest Post, Miscellaneous, Parks, Playing and Playgrounds, Studies and reports | 56 Comments »
Posted on February 17th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — I don’t like hopping on every new study that supposedly “proves” something about parenting, especially when I believe that parents are only one part of the many, MANY influences that shape a life. (Especially by college age!) Still,this study might interest some parents reconsidering the heap of “help” they believe their kids need. [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Studies and reports | 50 Comments »
Posted on January 24th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers: It is time to take Free-Range into the schools. How? See below. Why? Teachers have a huge influence not just on their students, but also on the students’ parents. Endorsing Free-Range ideas gives parents “permission” to try them at home. When they do, everyone wins! The teachers get kids who are more excited [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Studies and reports, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car, Zingers and retorts | 40 Comments »
Posted on January 12th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — Here’s a cool study from Loyola University about something that doesn’t surprise me at all: The more that kids play on their own, the less likely they are to get injured while playing their organized sports. A press release about the study was titled, “To Protect Against Injuries, Young Athletes May Need [...]
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Parks, Playing and Playgrounds, Studies and reports | 21 Comments »
Posted on January 4th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — When my son was in fifth grade and annoying the teacher one way or another, his punishment was NO RECESS. Do you think that made him more eager to pay attention, stop squirming and buckle down to work for the rest of the day? That’s why I’m thrilled that no less an institution [...]
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Parks, Playing and Playgrounds, Studies and reports | 49 Comments »
Posted on October 22nd, 2012 by lskenazy
Hi Readers — As you know, I don’t jump on every study that comes along (in part because that would require an inordinate amount of jumping). But this one, out today, I found interesting: Cyberbullying Only Rarely the Sole Factor Identified in Teen Suicides. You can figure out the topic from the title, obviously, but [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Miscellaneous, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Studies and reports | 45 Comments »
Posted on August 16th, 2012 by lskenazy
Hi Folks! Here’s a spankin’ new study that won’t surprise you: Children who spend more than three-quarters of their time engaging in sedentary behaviour, such as watching TV and sitting at computers, have up to nine times poorer motor coordination than their more active peers, reveals a study published in the American Journal of Human Biology. [...]
Filed under: Parks, Playing and Playgrounds, Studies and reports | 58 Comments »
Posted on June 10th, 2010 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! A bunch of you have forwarded this story, from livescience.com, that I’ve been mulling for days: ‘Helicopter’ Parents Have Neurotic Kids, Study Suggests The piece is about a study of 300 college freshmen that found the students who are “dependent, neurotic and less open,” may have their over-involved, over-worried, helicopter parents to thank [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Studies and reports | 53 Comments »
Posted on May 26th, 2010 by lskenazy
Hi Readers! Here’s a guest post from Laura Vanderkam, a journalist who blogs at my168hours.com, writes for The Wall Street Journal (among other fancy places), and just came out with the intriguing book: “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.” Here she ponders: Are Parents Spending Enough Time with Their Kids These Days? [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Other Places Other Eras, Studies and reports | 73 Comments »
Posted on May 14th, 2010 by lskenazy
Dear Readers — Oh my god, this is a BRILLIANT essay by security expert Bruce Schneier. He’s a guy who thinks a lot about terrorism, but his words will make sense to all of us who are concerned with the difference between real danger (which we’d like to guard against) and “worst-case thinking,” which over-reacts [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Studies and reports, Worst-First Thinking, Zingers and retorts | 35 Comments »
