Posted on May 21st, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — Is there anyone in any position of authority who EVER says, “Well, the chances are not 100% that your kid will be safe if you do X, but they’re close enough not to worry about them”? If not, maybe that should be my next job: Ask the Free-Ranger. In the meantime, I present what [...]
Filed under: Media Madness, Miscellaneous, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 92 Comments »
Posted on April 25th, 2013 by lskenazy
Here’s a nice little story to remember: Our kids have brains. Even at a young age they think and try to figure things out. This is something we’ve been encouraged to forget, and act as if they can do absolutely nothing on their own. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I’ve read so many articles and [...]
Filed under: GOOD News, Miscellaneous, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 37 Comments »
Posted on April 23rd, 2013 by lskenazy
Hi Folks — I’ve got a piece up over at Common Good about a jury awarding a family quite a gargantuan sum after their daughter, 13, died crossing the street to her school bus stop. What can a ruling like this do to childhood? Feel free to check out my worries. — L. Should kids [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 53 Comments »
Posted on April 3rd, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — This is the continuing story of the 6-year-old detained by the cops for walking outside. It is disturbing and distressing. The family needs pro bono legal help. If any of you are lawyers or know someone who can help, please let me know and I will forward the info to the family. Remember: [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Child Protective Services, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 401 Comments »
Posted on March 20th, 2013 by lskenazy
Hey Readers — Just a little note about how kids surprise us all the time, when we let them. – L. . Dear Lenore: Just heard you on the CBC (Canada’s NPR). Here’s my anecdote of awareness: . Concerned for my Grade 6 (age 11) daughter’s safety, I insisted on her holding my hand to [...]
Filed under: Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Other Places Other Eras, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 24 Comments »
Posted on March 14th, 2013 by lskenazy
Folks, when I posted the letter from the dad whose 6-year-old was picked up by the police — and DETAINED — for walking solo in her neighborhood, one of you said that stories like this make you worried to let your kids go outside. Which is exactly the opposite reaction I was hoping for. I wrote [...]
Filed under: Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts, Child Protective Services, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Other Places Other Eras, Parks, Playing and Playgrounds, School and Zero Tolerance and Bullies, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 62 Comments »
Posted on March 13th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — I was just on a radio show talking about how we reflexively inflate the dangers facing children, and while I was on, this email came to Free-Range Kids. It illustrates what I spend most of my waking hours dealing with: The belief that our kids are in constant danger, so only constant supervision [...]
Filed under: Crazy Parents, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 76 Comments »
Posted on March 10th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers – I just had a great time in Vancouver, where I gave a speech inaugurating the International Children’s Festival’s new “PEP Talk Series.” While there I met a lot of Free-Rangers who were very inspiring, including journalist/”urban experimentalist” Charles Montgomery, whose Happy City book will be coming out this fall. Among other things, it examines [...]
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Other Places Other Eras, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 20 Comments »
Posted on March 4th, 2013 by lskenazy
Readers — The story below makes me so sad and so angry, and you will see why. If anyone at Child Protective Services or the police department would pick up a single book written before predator panic swept the country, they’d see that 6-year-olds were always part of the neighborhood scene, scampering, playing, or even [...]
Filed under: Child Protective Services, Helicopter Effect on Kids, Infantilizing young folk, Miscellaneous, Other Places Other Eras, Walk to School / Stay Home Alone / Wait in Car | 164 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 »
