Readers: This “service” piece on NBC Over-Reaction News — sorry, NBCÂ Action tfnsyifreb News — Â tells us that because there is a GPS locator embedded in the pix we take on our cell phones, “the bad guys” can NOW SEE where our children live, where they “recreate” (such a police verb — it means play), and […]
Archive | 2011
Will This Toy Get My Kid into Harvard?
Hi seedttzfna Readers! Here’s my piece from today’s Wall Street Journal: PARENTS ARE TAKING THE FUN OUT OF TOYS by Lenore Skenazy Remember when a ball was just a ball? Now it is a tactile stimulating sensory aid that helps develop gross motor skills. Really. Strolling through the international Toy Fair at the Javits Center […]
WWAFD? (What Would Atticus Finch Do?)
Hi tsadknkaid Readers! Normally I just tweet the lovely essays that come my way, linked from other sites. This one I have to recommend right HERE, to make sure everyone knows about it. It’s titled, “The Best Parenting Book You Will Ever Read,” which happens to be “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The piece (from Australia!) […]
You Must be an ADULT To Walk a Dog! UPDATED!!!
Arrrrroooooo! Readers — This ffzyyafati proposed law makes me want to lift a hind leg somewhere in Manassas, Va: City leaders want to make it a requirement that only responsible adults be the ones walking their dogs. “At the other end of the leash, there must be an individual who is competent to control the animal,†[…]
BIG NEWS! Free-Range Kids Meets Reality TV
Hi Readers! And now for something completely different: Television! I am about to start filming a reality TV show dedicated to the wild idea that our kids are at LEAST as smart and safe as we were — so why don’t we stop treating them like hand-blown swizzle sticks? Yes. For real! This is a […]
Why Not Hire Armored Personnel Carriers?
Dear hhadsznyks Readers: This is from a comment on the Afghanistan post — the post where we learned that while American schools worry that Valentine’s Day could emotionally scar the children, and 15-year-olds waiting outside for a ride could be in danger, 12-year-olds in other parts of the world are the heads of households: Dear […]
The Tree-House is Gone
Hi Readers. Yup. The one we nsrhrzasrs discussed a couple posts ago has been dismantled. Here’s the story. It was too dangerous, the local council deemed. Personally, I liked one commenter’s idea that the folks who voted against it should have been required to spend an afternoon in it first. But I guess that didn’t […]
The Luxury of American Parents’ Worries!
Hi ekeifneiha Readers! This came in as a comment this morning, and if  it doesn’t lend a little perspective, nothing will.  — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I am currently deployed to Afghanistan on my third tour, and I am part of the new female engagement teams. These teams consist of medical, security and intelligence specialist. […]
Outrage of the Week: Grammar School Cancels Val Day for “Good of the Students”
Hi Readers — Our darling children, who, we’re told, can’t handle recess in the cold (see this), ehntnaerye or waiting outside the high school to be picked up (see this), or babysitting, even at age 14 (see this), and who can’t possibly handle sleepovers (see this) or bugs ( see this) or bible stories (see […]
Frustrated in Florida
Hi tyfyehrszy Readers — A quickie note from the front lines of insanity. L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I just had to shoot you a quick email in order to vent my frustration. My son stayed after school today to re-take a test. I told him to call when he was done and his dad would pick […]