A dismaying letter followed by an infuriating news item. Aren’t you glad you got up today? Dear Free-Range Kids: My girlfriend and I were strolling through the Western North Carolina Nature Center. There’s a lovely climbing structure for the kids that is supposed to resemble a spider’s web. Though there is the usual soft material underneath, it would actually be difficult to fall off. The thing that caught my attention was what we heard from the mothers in the short time it took us to walk past. One called out, “Be careful! You’ll fall!” The second, “Remember that Allie is…
Author: lskenazy
A reader just wrote to ask why do I keep scaring Free-Rangers by publicizing the worst and rarest cases of cops and CPS overreach? Stories like what happened to the Meitivs of Maryland, or the family of the 11-year-old in Florida, or Debra Harrell, the mom in South Carolina who spent a night in jail for letting her 9 year old play at the local park? Or this one, out of Chicago? Okay, okay — I’ll stop. (Wait — how about this one in New Jersey?) The answer is simple. My goal isn’t to scare — I actually wish I…
Yesterday I ran an interview with the Florida mom whose children were removed from their home for a month after a neighbor reported the family to Child Protective Services because their 11-year-old son was left outside by himself for 90 minutes. This story is so incredible, some people almost can’t believe it—and I can see why. It is as crazy as Maryland’s Child Protective Services accusing Danielle and Alexander Meitiv of negligence for letting their kids walk home from the park in Silver Spring. Unfortunately, sometimes this kind of thing happens. But when it is sufficiently publicized, change can happen—which…
I wrote about this case yesterday, and today had a chance to interview the mom by phone. She prefers to remain anonymous until the case is closed, and perhaps forever. As for why her son was not given a key: she worried that if he was in the house alone and a burglar barged in, he’d be in more danger than if he was free outside. This may not be your train of thought, but it is certainly not neglect. – L. One afternoon this past April, a Florida mom and dad I’ll call Cindy and Fred could not get…
Activist Bill Dobbs writes: “This story out of the heartland — northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan — deserves a bigger audience. Two teenagers meet via a hookup app but one turned out to be younger than the magic legal age. Now the older one is in jail for a misdemeanor, but once he’s served the time it gets even worse: 25 years of his future will be mortgaged to the Michigan sex offender registry. “Often those charged with sex offenses are shamed into silence. What’s unusual is that this young man and his family are…
At last! It may not be a cure for cancer, but it sure is close. Think of the lives saved by these Freezie Mits! My heart shivers just writing the name! Set of 8 mits for just $4.95 (shipping not included). — L
If this doesn’t convince lawmakers that they had better start revising the child neglect laws — and convince politicians that supporting Free-Range legislation would be a great, vote-getting platform — I’m not sure what will. I got this letter a week ago and was waiting for the mom’s permission to run it. Got it. Boldface mine: My ikhiriksfs children are not free range children. The younger one has always had a baby sitter. The older one who just turned 11 a couple of weeks ago always had a baby sitter as well. This school year that changed.…
This story is upsetting, but also reassuring. I put it here to remind us all that just because some authorities are too quick to investigate fine parents — and those are the stories I often highlight, because this must change — plenty of cops and child protective workers can recognize hysteria when they see it. Dear Free-Range Kids: I have two kids, 10 and 6. I grew up “Free-Range” in the ’70s and ’80s (known as “just a normal childhood” back then), and I want to raise my kids the same way. The thing I worry about more than anything…
Here’s an idea I wish I thought of …and sort of did: Bracelets kids can wear that explain they are ALLOWED to be outside, they are FREE-RANGE KIDS! They were created by a reader named Pat who was inspired by the Free-Range Kids membership card on the side of my blog (which, in itself, was inspired by a letter TO this blog), but I think they are better, because they ‘re so easy for kids to wear. I do worry that they cost about $10 each, but Pat agreed to put $2 each toward maintenance of my site (monthly bills…
The signs at every playground in my city, New York, say this: Playground rules prohibit adults except in the company of children.” Apparently, any adult who simply wants to sit on a bench and watch kids play could be a creep, so just ban ’em all. The idea that children and adults go naturally together has been replaced by distrust and disgust. There was a case here a few years ago when seven men who always played chess in the park were fined for…wait for it…playing chess in the park. Their chess tables — concrete ones, placed there by the…