A mash-up of the most insane events proceeding from the desire to keep our precious kids safe…no matter how moronically: Mom Who Overslept While Her Son Walked to School Handcuffed, Threatened with 10 Years’ Sentence In November, Connecticut mom Maria Hasankolli overslept while her son, age 8, got himself ready for school, missed his bus and started walking. Cops who were alerted to a boy alone outside picked him up and drove him the rest of the way. Then they went to the home of the oversleeping mom, clapped her into handcuffs and charged her with “risk of injury to…
Author: lskenazy
If some kids sometimes shoplift or get into fights, is that reason enough to ban them ALL from the mall without an adult? The people in this news report don’t even ponder that far-reaching question. So let’s rephrase it: If men sometimes shoplift or get into fights, is that reason enough to ban them all from the mall? How about women? African-Americans? Jews? Asians? Immigrants? Declaring that children should not be free citizens out and about in what is basically today’s town square — the mall — is as basic a civil rights issue as any. And yet, listen to…
At United Airlines, 15-year-olds will now have to be accompanied on and off the plane by a paid escort. (That sounds a little weird!) Until this month, the requirement was only for kids aged 5-12. This new rule will cost parents $150 a trip, which is such a total rip-off that the mind boggles even as the fingers Google. Let’s see: Can 15-year-olds possibly make their way solo from security to the gate? Here’s the list a fantastic site called Museum of Conceptual Art spits out when you put the age “15” into its “Things Other People Accomplished When They…
This video for Fever Scout, one of several new temperature trackers, is right: When your kid is sick, you do feel bad. But the idea that “dragging things across their forehead” — i.e., using a non-invasive, swipe the forehead thermometer — is insanely cruel, and that doing this at night can feel like “torture,” well, there’s your definition of a First World Problem. But beyond my personal gripe with exaggerating inconvenience is a deeper issue: The notion that we should continually monitor our peaked children’s temperatures is just another sign that at some point in the near future, we will…
Merry Christmas to everyone who’s celebrating, and a Happy New Year to all! I appreciate the Bible passage that a commenter sent here, below. It reminds us that throughout history, parents have lost track of their kids from time to time. What’s more, often a child only discovers his true interest — even his calling — when left to his own devices. (Or hers, of course.) (Or His.) Meantime, special wishes to Maria Hasankolli, who is still facing criminal charges for sleeping through a morning that her son got himself ready for school and started walking there on his own.…
Michelle Millet lives in Davis, CA with her husband, two kids and…some bikes: Riding to School All On Their Own by Michelle Millet In August, with my daughter entering sixth grade and my son entering third, I decided this would be the year my kids started to make the 2-mile bike ride from our house to their elementary school, all on their own. A neighbor, learning about my plan, asked if his 5th grade daughter could ride with them. Great, I said, and we made plans for the kids to meet on the bike path at 8 a.m. every day.…
Remember the Mantra of Our Times: If it happened once to anyone, anywhere you should start worrying about it now! As WLKY reports: LOUISVILLE, Ky. —Nearly two weeks ago, Audree Kopp was in the middle of moving into her new home. In the midst of the chaos, she noticed a growing bump on her wrist. “It just kept getting bigger and redder and worse,” said Kopp. Kopp went to her doctor, who gave her antibiotics. But the bump continued to grow. So she went to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery. “They said I needed surgery, and thank God…
Just watched this video and now am realizing: We are out of Kleenex at my place. Hope you’ve got some! The piece is titled, “Kids face hard Christmas choice: Gift for me or gift for mom?” – L . . .
This great idea comes to us from Emily Adams, whose insights and emails I am always grateful for. Please add your own headlines! Dear Lenore: Maybe Free-Range Kids could expand, and do a newspaper/news show/Internet blog with boring (but true) “news” articles about people who make the Free-Range decision for themselves and/or their kids, or kids in their care, with no ill effect, and sometimes positive results. For example: -“Kids Walk to School, Get Fresh Air, Exercise, Basic Navigation Skills” -“Brownie Troop Makes S’mores the Real Way, A Good Time is Had By All, and the Kids Learn Fire…
Here’s a fascinating note from fascinating Lia Grimanis, a feisty Canadian who makes things happen. She has been homeless, she is listed as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women, and she founded an organization called Up With Women, helping homeless women and children rebuild their lives. As if that isn’t enough, she also describes herself as a “flat-footed asthmatic gym class flunkie turned Guinness World Record holding truck and jet puller.” Lia writes that, “My mom was one of the most amazing Free-Range moms around. Because I was precocious, she let me go off and do what I wanted…