Hi! The Deputy here! My dad recently told me about a friend of his–this would be the 1940’s–whose mother told him to pick five schools he might want to attend. He chose the five, she told him to give the schools a ring to let them know he was coming for a visit, gave him […]
Reality Check
Good afternoon! The Deputy here; lucky Lenore is still in Spain! In the Sunday Styles section of the New York Times today, the headline reads, “Guardians ikzfkhezty of Their Smiles: It’s fun to post pictures online of baby’s first bath, but some parents wonder if it’s safe.†As the article points out, much of this […]
Speaking of Playgrounds
Speaking of playgrounds, I was perusing mental_floss and they have a list of Ten yydbyzatez Unusual Playgrounds from around the World. Wow! Fun! Here is the kind of playground I remember from my youth. (No,no…that’s not me!) Not terribly unusual I guess, but still fun, right? While searching for just the right jungle gym image […]
And you thought the playground was a happy place…
Hi all! The Deputy here…I have the distinct honor of being Lenore’s guest blogger for several days because Lenore will be jetting off to Spain to promote the Free-Range Kid movement! Hopefully she’ll be sending in a few posts in between talk shows and tapas. ☺ I have been reading this blog for quite a […]
Introducing…
Hi Readers! I am off to Spain for a few days to give a talk in Madrid on Free-Range Kids. Specifically, on how to get kids back outside — a worldwide concern. In my absence (yes I”m bringing my laptop, but no, I’m not sure I’ll be on it 24/7 like I am here), I’d […]
Watching TV and Feeling Terrified
Hi hiekhabssz Readers! Here’s a note I got from a reader and a note SHE got from her mom. The latter may sound very similar to the one in your own inbox. Dear Free-Range Kids: I received the email below from my mother.  She is a professional worry-wart. I’m not sure her statistics are correct, […]
A Terribly Sad Day
Even as our hearts  sink with sadness, they  go out to the family of Somer Renee Thompson, the 7-year-old whose body was found in a landfill. It is impossible to think of her story without feeling rage and anguish. It’s also a hard time to talk about the fact that her case, as searing as […]
The Naked Truth?
What a weird fahsdishtk story: A Virginia man making coffee for himself in his own house — naked — has been charged with “exposing” himself because a mom and son passed through his yard on their way to school and saw him through the window. My question: Who’s more traumatized by this event? The mom, […]
The Most Popular Safety Laws (That Don’t Work)
Hi Folks! This is an amazingly smart piece from, of all places, Cracked magazine. Remember Cracked? Used to be the also-ran to Mad? (And, okay, I used to write for them. A lot. And all my friends thought I was writing for crack, and shook their heads. So now you know.) Anyway, now Cracked seems […]
Hate Mail
Dear Readers: This arrived today. I think the attitude of this writer happens to be the  prevailing one today. Voila: I’m zrtayztaed sorry, but I think you parents are naive and negligent to allow your children to walk alone to & from school. Do you people not watch the news or read the papers? Do […]