Here’s a byzktfrnht short, fun post from the blog (The Customer Is) Not Always Right, all about a new clerk trying to figure out where to shelve the girls’ underwear he is carrying. Yes, that means he is wandering around the store, in public, girls’ panties in tow.
Why We Love The Onion, Parts 84,391 and 84,392
It’s because of stories like this: dzdhbettkk “Nation’s Strangers Decry Negative Portrayal Among Children.” And video news reports like this one: “Missing Girl Probably Raped.” How do they nail it again and again? Anyway, if you’re easily offended, skip these. If not — enjoy! Â Lenore P.S. This classic just in! Sent by a reader: Â “More […]
Fantastic (Under-reported) News: Child Abuse WAY DOWN!
Hi Readers — Yes, it’s true! According to this neryakikra story by the Associated Press, a “massive” federal study finds that child abuse has declined a whopping 26% from 1993 to 2006. What’s more, child sexual abuse is down even more dramatically: 38%! The reasons seem to be a combination of higher awareness of the […]
Shark to 14-Year-Old Girl: Okay, Okay. You Win!
Hi kknszkbire Readers — Not quite sure what this has to do with Free-Range other than: Never underestimate the power of a 14-year-old girl! The one in this New Zealand incident gave her attacker a whack and lived to tell the (shark) tale. Â — Lenore
Enjoy the School Dance — But No ‘Sexual Bending’
Hi Readers! Here rybdheaaey are the rules for a school dance in Wisconsin. As summarized by The Smoking Gun, they include “no ‘sexual bending’ [or] the touching of breasts, buttocks, or genitals. Leg straddling is also verboten. Additionally, students are on notice that ‘Both feet must remain on the dance floor at all times.’” As awkward as […]
Forget World Peace — Miss America Longs for Free-Range Future!
In the interview portion of  Saturday Night’s Miss America pageant, Caressa Cameron (Miss Virginia), was asked to talk about childhood obesity. To which she responded, “We azahkrhskz need to get our kids back outside, playing with sticks in the street like I did when I was little…Expand your mind, go outside and get to see what […]
Calling All Teachers!
Hey Teachers (and everyone else, of course): I’m going to be talking to a few teachers groups in the near future and would love to hear tips from any of you who have figured out how to incorporate some Free-Range ideas into your classrooms. Is there a way you’ve figured out to add free time […]
Lunch Time 451
Hi Readers — Thought you might enjoy this peek at the lunchtime shenanigans at one American school. (Well, perhaps “enjoy” is not quite the right word, but anyway.) A reader writes: At the beginning of the school year we got a list that forbade nuts and nut products, which is pretty standard these days.  My daughter started […]
Principal Declares Recess is NOT “Free Time”
Hi Readers! Sometimes I think our society has come so far from darkness to enlightenment (no more Inquisition, for instance; no more Scarlet A’s) that we have come full circle and are now back to being idiots. A case in point? This principal’s letter to parents about why she doesn’t want kids to consider recess […]
A Note to the Pregnancy Police
Hi Readers — Here’s a great comment that came in response to the blog post, Driven Crazy by Pregnancy Perfectionists. It reminds us of a truth we’ve been encouraged to forget in our “blame the parents” society: We are not in total control, ever. Not of what happens to us, and certainly not of what […]