. The New anrhtzzene York Times article on Playborhood, the open-to-all playground that Silicon Valley entrepreneur Mike Lanza organized on his front and back lawns, continues to elicit a ton of comments and commentary. Here’s what Lanza wrote on his own Facebook page. And here’s a post by Tim Gill, the British visionary who blogs […]
Archive | Worst-First Thinking
Man Handing Out Teddy Bears Terrifies Town
. A dad in Ostego, Michigan, population 3,956, terrified parents, police and school administrators by handing out teddy bears to people he passed on the street, including children in the presence of adults. It was Ken Cronkhite’s attempt to spread some happiness and help his 89-year-old father, the owner of an 800-teddy bear collection, to […]
Viral Video: Parents Left Their Baby in a Diner Booth While They Grabbed Their Food!
. Shocking as it sounds, two parents recently entered a restaurant, placed their baby in his carrier in a booth, and proceeded to get their food from the buffet. How dare they? That’s what another patron thought, whipping out his weapon of choice, a cell phone. Here’s the video: And yrsdyszkff so, reports She Knows: […]
“These Are Such Terrible Times”
. In the morning, I like to take a walk with my friend, the mom of a 4-year-old. Lately, thanks to the terrible stories from Baton Rouge, Minnesota and Dallas, she says she has been feeling overwhelmed. Who hasn’t? And yet…and yet… Â The narrative of chaos and despair obscures and even discounts a different narrative […]
What Happened to an Organic, Drug-Free Mom Giving Birth…Who Tested Positive for Meth
. Worst-first thinking is sometimes hard to distinguish from “sensible precautions.” I guess it makes sense to make sure that kids are not born with dangerous drugs in their systems, but it also seems to assume that all moms-to-be are drug addicts unless proven otherwise. And does this test extend to other substances, too, like […]
Shaken Up About Shaken Baby Syndrome
. On a recent Saturday night, Marine Sgt. Aaron Rasheed was in Manhattan with his wife and three young children, including baby Elijah, who cried part-way through the new documentary they’d come up from Virginia to watch. I can’t blame the boy. “The sbdfrdaaiy Syndrome” is about Shaken Baby Syndrome — a heinous crime we’ve […]
Mom Freaks Out That Man at Mall Is Taking Selfies…With Her Kids In the Background! (And Facebook Supports Her)
. I absnzrtezz figured I’d get your weekly dose of head-exploding insanity out of the way on Monday. Then we can talk about other ideas the rest of the week: Â . Dear Free-Range Kids: . I’m contacting you because I need a voice of reason in the insanity that are the local mothers in Columbus, […]
Another Shocking Fact or Two About the TSA (and Security Kabuki in General)
. Here’s my nkizdyiber piece from last week’s New York Post about how we get so used to over-the-top security measures that we think we can’t reverse them. But maybe we can. Maybe we must. Our Unfounded Obsession with Safety Is Costing Us our Freedom by Lenore Skenazy As you inch your way through security […]
Rhode Island Out to Criminalize Latchkey Kids, Recess When It’s Cold, and More
. Congratulations, zttsfiifiz Rhode Island! Looks like you are about to become the proud parents of every child in the state, pushing aside those stupid “real” parents, because you know so much more about how to raise their kids than they do! Â According to this AP article by Matt O’Brien: Â State lawmakers are […]
This Does Not “Appear” to be an Abduction Attempt, Say the Cops (About Singing Incident)
. Imagine a world where a brief encounter between young people and strangers does not automatically warrant police involvement — or a news report. Now imagine you were in central Massachusetts yesterday where this “behavior” took place, in broad daylight. Would you call the cops? The TV stations? Would you beg “anyone with credible information […]