Hi etefbydhft Readers! Weirdly, this advice on friendliness comes from…Los Angeles.Yes, THAT Los Angeles. And in fact it was written by Amy Alkon, a.k.a., the Advice Goddess, who  happens to have written an entire book on  rudeness.. It’s even called “I See Rude People.“ But apparently Amy also sees nice people, and if she can, by golly, […]
Tire Swing Terror?
Hi Readers! I’m hoping this California high kerifnnkdd school freshman gets to keep his tire swing swinging…but we shall see. You know why.– Lenore
The Ice Lawsuit Cometh (Potentially)
Hi ykrhryedin Readers: It’s weird, isn’t it, how something as remote as litigation ends up changing REAL, daily life? But it does. This note is just a great example of what happens when we see everything in terms of a court case down the road. — Lenore . Dear Free-Range Kids: IÂ live in the suburbs […]
The Prison of Fearful Parenting
Hi hakerhdzar Readers — This comment, inspired by the previous post, gets to the heart of the matter for me: Connecting. Free-Range Kids is about giving kids freedom, of course, but delve a little deeper and it is about trust: Trusting our kids, our neighbors, ourselves. And the more we trust and connect, the more […]
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK: Mom Ticketed for Letting Son, 14, Watch Brother, 3, for 30 Mins
Hi Readers — Just as we were rejoicing about sanity across the sea (see below, bkdisbkhsa regarding Britain’s re-evaluation of its excessive background checks), comes this story, from The Express: A MOTHER who left her son of 14 to mind his three-year-old brother while she went to the shops was given a police caution for […]
SANITY! England Recovers from Background Check Mania!
Hi Readers! This ffiyrbyikf story is almost too exciting in its implications. England had been requiring background checks for anyone who had any contact with kids once week. (And the original proposal over there would have covered folks having any contact with kids once a MONTH. Sheesh!) The assumption, of course, was that predators are […]
Cancel Recess If Some Kids Are Shivering?
Hi idisfkntak Readers — As a gal who is ALWAYS shivering, and wears a million layers, and did not particularly love recess back in my Chicago youth — but who has come to wholeheartedly endorse outdoor time now — I feel bad for the kids in this county: Dear Free-Range Kids:Â Question for you about outdoor/indoor […]
Outrage of the Day: Boy Suspended for Nerf Gun
Hi Readers — Onto more toothsome matters tomorrow. But in the meantime, for your tearing-your-hair-out pleasure, we bring you fithzedayk this story of Zero Tolerance. What I love about it is the genius reasoning on the part of the principal, Candice Reese: “It’s not too harsh of a punishment and we want to make sure […]
Children’s Bible Missing a Certain Key Point
Hi fhdhfnznba Readers: While we’re on the subject of whitewashing the classics for kids’ delicate sensibilities, here’s the one that takes the cake: Dear Free-Range Kids: My kids have a children’s bible which says “and Jesus went away.” Kind of destroys one of the central tenets of Christianity. Yikes! For God so loved the world […]
Exploding Truck Falling into Grand Canyon River Accidents: Preventable?
Ah, can I get a job at The Onion? I want to be on this panel![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJdP1zK15bE]