Let’s hope that 2021 is the year several states pass Reasonable Childhood Independence / Free-Range Parenting bills, as Utah did in 2018. Right now, it’s looking good in Idaho, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and possibly Nebraska. This year in Colorado a Democrat and a Republican co-sponsored a Reasonable Childhood Independence bill. The two women were […]
Podcasts, laws, eyeballs — Let Grow, the nonprofit that grew out of Free-Range Kids, had an amazing year on so many different fronts. We found bi-partisan support for our “Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill” in Colorado (a story to be continued), we got millions of views of our videos and posts, and I personally got to […]
A friend who was noodling around the AccuWeather site today found a blog post, “Why Have Midwestern Towns Banned a Beloved Winter Pastime?” The piece, which seems like it might just sit in a slush pile on AccuWeather’s newsdesk and await recycling every snow season, discusses a few horrible sledding injury lawsuits that drained the […]
This op-ed of mine originally appeared in the NY Daily News on Dec. 19: “I’m thinking of letting my 8-year-old walk to her friend’s apartment. It’s literally one block. But I’m not sure if she’ll get stopped, or if she’s too young, or…†My neighbor’s voice trailed off as he worried about someone mistaking his […]
Friends, a story I have been mulling and researching for a long time just appeared in Reason. It begins: “What did you love doing as a child that you’re still sort of doing today?” That’s the question I’ve posed to lots of people, including a businessman I briefly spoke with at the TED Talks in […]
Over at Let Grow we’ve got 30 — count ’em! — ideas for holiday gifts kids can make. In truth, I only got down to about #11 when I saw MICROWAVE CARAMELS. I’d thought caramels require time and patience and something else I don’t have: a candy thermometer. But this recipe is easier. So if […]
Austin Educator Mike Yates had a mom who would accept nothing lower than an A when he was in school. He managed to bring these home, but perhaps not that surprisingly he went on to become an education entrepreneur, changing the way school is taught and success is measured. His piece on “When Students Get […]
Great advice in today’s essay at Let Grow on whether you should push your kids should to share your passions: “I was so invested in shaping my daughter into who I wanted her to be, I nearly missed seeing the amazing person she is,” admits author Katie Benoit. Eventually Katie realized that joy comes when […]
Jessie Thompson’s kids, ages 9, 10 and 11, would like to walk home together, but Spann Elementary School in Summerville, South Carolina, won’t let them leave without an adult. When Thompson asked if she could sign some sort of waiver, the school said no. If an adult does not pick the kids up, they must […]
Why is there a Free-Range Kids movement? Why does Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence, even exist? Here’s why: “Children Walking Alone,†warned an alert I received from the social media site nextdoor just as I sat down to write this piece. “Dear Parents,†it went on. “Please have an adult accompany children ‘taking […]
