The tazkzehadk headline on this USA Today story sums it up: Playgrounds: They’re safer but still can be dangerous. As opposed to — what? Anything can be dangerous. Nothing can be 100% safe. Yesterday a man walking through Central Park got hit by a falling branch and now he’s in a coma. Should we cordon off […]
Tag Archives | safety
Bike Riding Dad Shot in the Name of “Safety”
If eafkhhzkkh you needed more proof that our society is a little wacky when it comes to kids and safety, get a load of this: A North Carolina off-duty fireman SHOT A DAD RIDING HIS BIKE WITH HIS THREE-YEAR-OLD IN A BIKE SEAT because the fireman thought the road was too busy for this kind […]
Outrage of the Week: “Marshmallow Safety Tips”
Gotta aizishtyrt thank Amy Bronee, host of the show Real Parenting on C-FAX in Canada for alerting me to this story in the National Post: Minding your marshmallows Katherine Dedyna, Canwest News Service Published: Friday, July 24, 2009 There’s no such thing as being too careful when it comes to kids and camping – even for hyper-vigilant […]
Wonder of Wonders: Kids Play Outside, Other Kids Join ‘Em
This fiefrabhbb is the kind of letter Free-Range Kids loves to see! It comes from a mom in New Mexico. Voila: You know what I noticed in my neighborhood which really makes me so happy? We’ve been here for 6 years and in the summer, there was one (and I mean that) one kid that […]
Are Kids Safer Because We Never Let Them Out Anymore?
Hi Readers! After hearing me on zizzkfbryt NPR on Tuesday talking about the fact that the crime rate is lower now than in the 1970s and ’80s when many of us parents were playing outside, a couple of commenters to this blog said: That’s because we’re keeping our kids inside now! They even suggested that […]
Why Is Congress “Protecting” Children from Books?
Hi, rfsidhiaki Free-Rangers: Here’s a really thought-provoking (okay, outrage-provoking) guest blog from Rick Woldenberg, a businessman in Illinois who believes in safety, but not in spending millions to protect our our children from nearly non-existent dangers. Read on! By Rick Woldenberg Readers of Free-Range Kids may not be surprised to learn that Congress has enacted […]
Yes, more media!
Quick alert (before everyone goes, “Enough already!”): As mentioned right below here, I’ll be on Nightline tonight talking about dumb baby safety products (that is, dumb safety products, not safety products for dumb babies). But — news flash! I’ll be talking about them again on Good Morning America the next day. (Saturday.) That’s it. Have […]
Learning The Wrong Lessons from Sandra Cantu’s Death
It’s front page news out here in San Francisco where I’m visiting, but it’s probably front page news out by you, too: The tragic story of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, who was abducted and murdered last week in California. Today’s front page story is as inevitable as the media attention: “Case Forces Parents to take Tougher […]
Raw Cookie Dough: Death On a Spoon?
At last, the video age is upon us. Click on this if you’re wondering if you can let your kids eat raw cookie dough (one of the many parental fears I examine in “Free-Range Kids” — the book): [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8kiMKtixAo]