Chuck E. Cheese or Child Prison? You Make the Call!

 Hi bbezkkhfne Folks! Here’s a letter from prison…er…Chuck E. Cheese, sent to us by Angelica Totten, who originally posted it on her Facebook page. I so agree that the policy at Chuck E’s is not only overkill, it’s cultural pollution, spreading the idea that predators are always lurking near kids and ready to kidnap them […]

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Mom of Nut-Allergic Teens Asks School to Remove Oak Trees

Mom of Nut-Allergic Teens Asks School to Remove Oak Trees

Hi Readers — Here’s a story getting a lot of attention, for what I think are good reasons. As ahbnainysr reported in today’s Toronto Star: A York Region mother is fighting to have oak trees removed near her child’s school, fearing that acorns could pose a deadly threat to students with severe allergies. Donna Giustizia […]

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What Girl Scouts CAN Do — When Not Babied!

Hey afheayzidk Folks — This was written in response to the post a few down from here, about a Girl Scout troop where the girls are making s’mores with marshmallow fluff instead of toasted marshmallows, presumably so no one gets hurt. One of the big-time tenets of Free-Range Kids is that kids are safer than […]

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Help This Mom Fight New School Rule: NO RUNNING AT RECESS

Help This Mom Fight New School Rule: NO RUNNING AT RECESS

Here hbybzesirh you , folks. Let’s give this mom some ammo! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: My son’s school district has just instituted a no running policy during recess.  I am, of course, appalled by this, feeling that the kids need to be able to blow off a little steam during those 10 minutes of […]

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Pass the Fluff!

S’More Safety

Hi rafbyrthnk Folks! A new development on the safety front to  ponder o’er the weekend! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: A few weeks ago, my daughter’s girl scout troop was invited to a sing-a-long with other troops, and they would have s’mores. There was a bubble on the form telling parents not to worry… the […]

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Yes, kids can ride this thing!

The Kid Takes the City Bus (and Sparks a Revolution)

Hi idfnabsebb Readers! My favorite quote from college was, “Action breaks the cycle.” You can think and think and think, but when you finally TAKE ACTION, things change. Here’s a story of just that, sent to us by Aimée Lafrenière Turner, who Tweets @AimeeLTurner and blogs at The Maine Page Turner. – L.  Dear Free-Range Kids: […]

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A Gated Community. A 6-year-old Outside for a Moment. Safe?

A Gated Community. A 6-year-old Outside for a Moment. Safe?

Hi bitdntkrza Folks — Here’s a nice story from Leslie in Georgia, and a response from her friend that has me shaking my head. Is NOTHING safe enough? NOTHING? Not the most normal, delightful, sane, sweet  slice of childhood, as dangerous as a daisy? To many Americans, the answer is simply nope, nothing IS safe […]

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Old Bill, mascot of the Lethbridge Fire Department by Galt Museum & Archives on The Commons

“Dogs Should Be Supervised in the Fenced-In Backyard At All Times” (Notes from Helicopter Pet Parenting)

Hi kedtneinte Folks — It  constantly stuns me how much we don’t believe in our kids, convinced they will be hurt, frustrated, killed or bored without our constant ministrations. But to see this standard of supervision extended to dogs is fairly knock-me-down-with-a-chew-toy shocking. There’s something about our society that CLAIMS it is for all-natural this […]

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