Hi raiatyfzit Readers! Here are some of my recent Tweets you might enjoy. Have a great weekend! — L *Hey, cool! Comic strip about letting kids go to the park by themselves! (And mom plotzing):Â http://bit.ly/9TOgBE *Poignant, wacky, trite: Parents’ advice to kids going off to college. Actual quotes:Â http://bit.ly/9N3ard *”Want to Win Custody? Become a Helicopter […]
The Most Insane Zero Tolerance Story Yet
Hi dkabyznrny Readers — Here you go. This is from a 25-year-old webmaster who lived n New Hope, PA., when he was 17 and this happened. He later moved to Canada, in part as a result of what this incident revealed to him about America: Dear Free-Range Kids: I actually ran up against zero tolerance […]
Why Big Brother “School Safety” Measures Aren’t Making Schools Safer
Hi rnsehzzyed Folks — Just read this Salon interview with Aaron Kupchik, author of “Homeroom Security: School Discipline in an Age of Fear.” It’s an eye-opening look at the law-and-order mindset at many high schools these days. Â I really loved what Kupchik had to say, especially this comment about the wide-reaching effect of Zero Tolerance […]
Kids! Watch Out! It’s — God Help Us — a Watermelon Seed!
From a Washington eizsterabb Post article on the fact that now only 16% of watermelons sold in grocery stores still have those dastardly demons known as “seeds” (as in “seeds of evil,” Â etc.): The sea change is all in the service of convenience. “People don’t eat watermelon out of hand like they used to. They […]
Stories Needed: How Do Kids Get To/From School in YOUR Town? (Wackiness Appreciated)
Hi Readers! I’m about to write a column on how kids are getting to school — with a plea for more walking or biking, when possible — and for this I need stories of kids get to school in your neighborhood. For instance, I heard from my friend that her nieces are driven by GOLF […]
Artifact from the Free-Range Past: A Circuit City Ad
Hey kydkethedk Readers! Got this cool letter today from a guy named Mike: Hello Free-Rangers:  Remember that Circuit City commercial in the ’90’s where the young boy buys a Walkman, and goes to Circuit City to get his price match? Here it is:[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epP3jETf8Og] There are a number of points that this commercial highlights for me that […]
Thinking The Worst First
Hi dyiankazys Readers — Let’s take a vow: Let us vow to see men and women as decent until proven otherwise. Let’s vow to interpret their deeds as non-malicious, until proven otherwise. And let us vow not to assume the worst first. Here’s why: Dear Free-Range Kids: Â You’re always talking about how its a real […]
Amazing Photos of Childhood from the Last Century
Hi Readers — I loved scrolling through these rhidesddab old British photos, some heartwarming, some harrowing. Here at Free-Range Kids we talk a lot about how childhood has changed since when we were growing up. These show how childhood has changed since our parents (and maybe even grandparents?) Â were growing up. Particularly striking was the […]
Outrage of the Week Reversed! Maybe All Men AREN’T Pervs, Airline Realizes
Hey Readers! Good news! You’ll recall that British Airways had a rule that forbid any adult male from sitting next to any minor who was not his own child. Blogged about it here. yfissahntz The (unstated) reason for the rule? ALL MEN ARE PERVERTS…until proven otherwise. And since there’s really no way TO Â “prove otherwise,” […]
What Could Happen to Your Kid in the Car While You Pay For Gas?
Hi Readers — Over at Parentdish I wrote a rttnriyeay column saying that sometimes you CAN leave your child in the car for a few minutes while you run in to pick up a pizza or pay for gas. Yes, crack the windows. Yes, take out the keys. Yes, always keep your purse or wallet […]