In my lectures I often point out that it is NOT our imagination — our expectations and fears for our kids have changed dramatically in a relatively short time. To prove it, I note that at the beginning of the “Sesame Street, Old School” DVD, which features highlights from the first five years of that show, a warning appears on screen: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” As if today’s preschool child is nowhere near as independent, smart or competent as the ones of yesteryear. Today, I’m…
Author: lskenazy
As we ease our way into 2016, let’s consider it The Year of the Can-Do Kid, reminding ourselves that children are capable of much more than society assumes. It’s not a bad impulse that makes us want to help our kids. No one wants to see kids hurt or harmed. But our societal obsession with young people’s fragility and the permanence of trauma leaps to the disheartening belief that ANY hurt or harm is damaging, forever. So we think that somehow THIS generation of kids is maybe smarter when it comes to tech, but otherwise slower, weaker, less resilient, and…
This comes to us from Heather Hypes, a mom in Michigan, who had one of those days. We’ve all had them. The kids are tired, the line takes forever, the credit card is doing something funky… For most of modern history, this was cause for a beer or candy bar when we got home. But Heather and her husband are facing something far bigger: A possible six months in jail and $2000 in fines — not to mention lawyers’ fees — thanks to authorities convinced that children are in mortal peril any time their parents aren’t perfect. No one is…
. Mom’s too busy to go outside with you, kid? Then clearly the only option is a $159.95 indoor play system. Because you couldn’t possibly go outside UNSUPERVISED and play with FRIENDS, or even even ENTERTAIN YOURSELF, right? Mom must be right there! Always! And so we present: . . As ykytbhhhta commenter Judy C. wrote in an email, alerting us to this gizmo (which DOES look fun — it’s just the idea that kids can’t go outside unsupervised that irks me): Dear Free-Range Kids: Happy New Year! As we start 2016 and make resolutions to be more active, I…
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…
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.…