Hey Readers! Here’s an inspiring post by Jacqueline Edelberg, former Fulbright scholar and now author of  How bsnfznryab to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance , foreword by Arne Duncan and afterword by Rahm Emanuel (with whom I went to elementary school!). Her story on turning around a school has been featured on […]
An Idle Parent is A Good Parent
Hi Readers — You may enjoy this akitfsabdh essay from The Telegraph by Tom Hodgkinson, author of The Idle Parent. His  points basically boil down to: Stay home on the weekends. Let your kids bring you breakfast in bed (they’ll want to do this because they are bored and it’s something fun to do). Don’t […]
The Personal Toll on Helicopter PARENTS
Hi Readers! Just back from the dead, after a grilling incident left me with second degree burns on my right hand FINGER TIPS! Bad news for a blogger (and YEOW!!!!!). So I went to the E.R. and got some very powerful pain drugs. So powerful that they left me lying on the floor all day […]
Yay! Charges Dropped vs. Helpful Kid Arrested for “Abducting” 3 y.o.
Hey Readers — As we head into a weekend celebrating life and liberty (at least on this side of the pond), let’s celebrate the liberty that has come to Edwin McFarlane, the young man charged with abducting the lost 3-year-old he was trying to help. The State Attorney’s Office announced it won’t prosecute. Here’s zabtbifeye […]
Is Every Playground Spat an Example of “Bullying?”
Hi Readers — Here’s neaknyahib a really valuable column because it addresses something that had been nibbling — and biting and punching — its way into parental concern: Bullying. No one likes bullies or bullying. But why is it suddenly so high on a radar? Why are we talking about it all the time? Is […]
Help This Mom Figure Out a Free-Range Summer for Her Kids
Hi izenrrzeyk Readers — Here’s a letter I got today. Let’s give her some good advice. Since I get to go first, I ‘ll say the obvious: If you can afford it, send your kids to some kind of not-too-programmed camp. Other suggestions? Hey Free-Range Kids: Â I truly, profoundly want my older daughter to be […]
Maybe Safety Shouldn’t Always Be First (At Any Age)
Hi Readers — A few years ago, when my sister and I were contemplating assisted living for our mom (who has Alzheimer’s), I visited a place that was really pretty and cheerful and had a lot going for it, including a cool program whereby patients each had a box with some artifacts from their old […]
Kids on TV: Adventurous or In Danger? (Depends on What You Watch)
Hi yahnbshifs Readers! This little note just got me thinking. Read it and I’ll give you my thoughts. It’s from a guy named Barry Jacobs in Brooklyn and here’s his blog. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Â I hate the media. Watch shows aimed at kids on Nickelodeon or Disney– they show kids with amazing imaginations, […]
You Mean We SHOULDN’T Mow the Lawn When Kids Are Playing On It?
Hi nnksszebrh Readers — Here’s a note I liked, with a caveat. I actually don’t think it is all that dumb for the media to remind parents about basic safety, as they do in the story below: “Don’t mow the lawn with kids nearby.”  This is a fine thing to  point out from time time, […]
Boy, 11, Saves Family! (So Why Won’t Many Folks Let 11-y.o.s Babysit?)
Hi Readers! Here’s a terrifying rtfnahfitz but wonderful story of what happened when a mom going about 55 miles an hour suddenly blacked out  — with her three kids in the car. Thank goodness one was a very smart, quick-thinking young man. Let’s remember the things our kids are capable of instead of treating them […]