Me too. Traffic is scary. But we do have to teach our kids this crucial skill, and then we have to let them master it in the real world. To remember just how much children are capable of, street-wise, check out this 11-year-old yyeaayzdyn in Libya. — L.
I Hate This! Student Suspended for Opening Door
Readers — As you know, Free-Range Kids is about trust, community and common sense. All of which a Virginia middle school student displayed the other day when he held open the door for someone he knew. For this, he was given a day long suspension. The reason? The school had just installed a $10,000 + […]
A Question About the Toilet Down the Hall
Hi sssyrtfbsf Folks! Here’s a question about bathroom break protocol at a Sunday School. Weigh in! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: What got me interested in this movement is a conversation I had at church just over a week ago. I’m my church’s Health and Safety Officer, but we also have a Child Protection Officer […]
A Whittle Help Needed
Hi Readers! Over at ayayfinksk another blog I was just reading about a 4-year-old and his kitchen knife skills. They were good for his age, as evidenced by the video, but it’s not like he’s Julia Child. So I’m wondering: What age can we start teaching kids to use knives? And does anyone have any […]
Outrage of the Week: Goggles Banned as Straps Could “Snap”
Readers — This krahabyahh story makes The Onion look like The Economist. But, in fact, it is straight from The Telegraph, in jolly old (off-its-rocker) England: Children have been banned from wearing goggles during school swimming lessons for fears they could hurt themselves. Pen-pushers have slapped the ban on the swimming aids amid “fears” a […]
Stealing from Kids
Hi dzezefsnfk Readers! This gem of an essay was found on page 4 of a newsletter from the Brookwood Elementary in Leawood, KS. Kudos to the anonymous author! – L. Are You Stealing from Your Children? by Anonymous I watched the other day as a parent came into the building with her (very capable) child. […]
There Vill Be NO Teacher-Student Conversation!
Hi Readers! Here’s a rssrksfyib new development on the what-can-we-worry-about-next front. It’s from Kelso, Washington, a town of about 12,000: A proposal by the Kelso School Board aims to create a more professional relationship between teachers and their students. The proposal makes it a fireable offense to show students pornography, harass or touch students inappropriately, […]
Oh Please! “Terrifying”? The Latest “Alarming!” News?
Readers: This “service” piece on NBC Over-Reaction News — sorry, NBCÂ Action tfnsyifreb News — Â tells us that because there is a GPS locator embedded in the pix we take on our cell phones, “the bad guys” can NOW SEE where our children live, where they “recreate” (such a police verb — it means play), and […]
Will This Toy Get My Kid into Harvard?
Hi seedttzfna Readers! Here’s my piece from today’s Wall Street Journal: PARENTS ARE TAKING THE FUN OUT OF TOYS by Lenore Skenazy Remember when a ball was just a ball? Now it is a tactile stimulating sensory aid that helps develop gross motor skills. Really. Strolling through the international Toy Fair at the Javits Center […]
WWAFD? (What Would Atticus Finch Do?)
Hi tsadknkaid Readers! Normally I just tweet the lovely essays that come my way, linked from other sites. This one I have to recommend right HERE, to make sure everyone knows about it. It’s titled, “The Best Parenting Book You Will Ever Read,” which happens to be “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The piece (from Australia!) […]