Tag Archives | mom

A Shift in the Lunchroom at Work (to Free-Range)

A Shift in the Lunchroom at Work (to Free-Range)

Readers kkhskssfsa — This letter comes to us from a mom in Alberta, Canada, who is giving me a lot of hope. Change can be swift and, since it makes everyone happier, lasting. . Meantime, this intro  comes to you from Vienna, where I just flew in (arms tired, etc.) to give a talk tomorrow […]

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Why American Kids Will Not Rule the World

Why American Kids Will Not Rule the World

Hi tzhsydibys Readers! Christine Gross-Loh’s articles on HuffPo have been generating a lot of attention — with reason. She’s great! Thanks to her global perspective, she can attest that the worry and hovering so common in America represent a distinct and unusual type of parenting, not just the “instinct” many here feel it is. Meantime, […]

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Mommies Following Orders

Mommies Following Orders

Sorry Readers — I’m all riled up today. Too many things are annoying me, and one of them is the story I just heard from a friend. On Friday, in honor of Mother’s Day, her first grade daughter’s class was having a tea. So, in the foyer, waiting to go into the classroom, were a […]

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Disqualified from Science Fair for Experiment Using Airsoft Gun

Disqualified from Science Fair for Experiment Using Airsoft Gun

Hi dhezbysnbh Readers —  Here’s an example of our “Do something — anything!” school safety culture at work. Personally, I’d never heard of airsoft guns.  When I Googled them, they looked totally scary and far too realistic for my tastes. BUT they are neither lethal nor, where this family lives, illegal. And, as you’ll read, none […]

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Did Being a Helicopter Mom Doom My Marriage (and Kids)?

Did Being a Helicopter Mom Doom My Marriage (and Kids)?

Readers hkbizsezty — This is one of the most reflective, honest things I’ve ever read about parenting and marriage. It comes to us from Kristina Beth, in Utah. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: This is my first time saying anything on this website, but I’ve often heard about this blog from my coworker.  In the […]

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Watch as a School becomes a Prison!

Watch as a School becomes a Prison!

Readers bnntrbzain — I just got off the phone with a mom in Pennsylvania whose tiny school district has allotted 0,000 for new security measures without even knowing what it will spend the money on. This district dropped about 10% of its teachers last year for lack of funding, but it is so freaked out […]

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Bludgeoning Children (Not as Bad as It Sounds)

Bludgeoning Children (Not as Bad as It Sounds)

Hi kyaakhiesi Folks! Below is just one part of a great, fun essay called “Parenting the Way Your Great Grandmother Would.” It’s by Margaret Ables, a comedy writer who has written for Celebrity Death Match and It’s a Big, Big World. She blogs at shortfatdictator.com (Facebook) and has appeared on ‘Steve Harvey’ discussing parenting/ family issues. She lives in L.A. […]

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The 7-year-old with Two Jobs (And School)

The 7-year-old with Two Jobs (And School)

Readers stiyznndyz — This came in response to the post about a mom who let her 7-year-old sit out on their front stoop for a short time and the husband declared this “bad parenting!” Sometimes our society expects so little from kids in terms of competence, helpfulness and general responsibility, it’s nice to zoom out […]

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Life Saved Because of Free-Range Kids, Age 9 and 10!

Life Saved Because of Free-Range Kids, Age 9 and 10!

Hi Folks – A reader named Jaimie sent in this zdtftsfskn story, noting that “These kids wouldn’t have been able to help if they weren’t outside, or if they were afraid to talk to a woman they didn’t know!” What happened? An Atlanta-area mom named Susanna Rohm was in her living room when she noticed […]

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