Readershttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qrCRPnqlmsPerhaps it had not yet occurred to you that without a black belt, you and your family might not survive holiday shopping. You poor, naive fools. See you in traction! Hi Blogger, Black Friday is just several weeks away and for many people this means heading out even earlier this year to get the best deals and steals. However, if history repeats itself, Black Friday can make people do some crazy things. Each year the news headlines tell stories of people being physically hurt over holiday gifts. As ridiculous as this sounds, Krav Maga Worldwide, a leading self-defense organization is…
Author: lskenazy
Readers — A mom sent this to me after hearing my talk. (To book me, see my lenorespeaks.com page.) What I appreciate about this note is how hard it is to counter the constant fear we’ve been conditioned to feel, and how brave and bracing it is to start fighting back. — L. Dear Lenore — Really enjoyed your talk! You made me laugh a lot! You know I heard ur story a few yrs ago then seen the episode of Law and order [which featured a 9 year old who looked just like my son] and you are right…
Readers — Sometimes I feel compelled to document a fear that will either die a natural death from its unwieldiness, or become so pervasive no one will remember a time before we all believed it. In this case, from England, the fear is that any adult who chooses to be in proximity to children, no matter what the circumstances, is too dangerous to permit: A bird enthusiast made a 25-mile trip to see a falconry display at a family leisure park only to be told that single adults are banned — for fear of paedophiles. Married man Matthew Richards, 54,…
Lena, sex and cancer — clickbait? No. A real, Free-Range point: This week, two writers I love — Frank Furedi, the author of Paranoid Parenting (the 2002 book that decried helicopter parenting before anyone else) and Josh Gravens, a Soros Fellow dedicated to reforming the sex offender laws — both wrote about the Lena Dunham autobiography, in which the “Girls” creators admits to having been fascinated by her 1-year-old sister’s vagina when she was 7, and doing some stuff that is uncomfortable to read about. For this, some observers have branded her nothing short of a child abuser. But as…
Readers — Here’s an article from the Denton Record Chronicle in Denton County, Texas, about allowing voting into the schools when kids are there. Jennifer Travis, the mom who seems to have inspired the piece, normally votes by absentee ballot, I think. So when she had to vote on Election Day itself — Travis first needed to find where her precinct was located. During that search, she discovered that her son’s school, McMath Middle School, was a polling location, something of which she was not aware. Travis is concerned, as are others in Denton, over the use of a school…
Hi folks! This post comes to us from Jay P. Greene, the 21st Century Professor of Education Reform. at the University of Arkansas. It’s great to think that someone immersed in education reform is thinking about how important it is for kids to do things on their own, outside the classroom. Putting On a Show, by Jay P. Greene It was a staple of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies that kids from the neighborhood would get together to “put on a show.” Someone would get the curtains, someone would build the set, and — after some practice…
Here’s an Election Day screed — not by me. But I am with this mom, every word, and wondering if this is happening out by you, too. (I know I asked before, but I’m wondering how to find out if this is truly a growing trend. Anybody know? If so, it deserves more press!) For good effect, I’m re-running my “Strangers in the Schools” video, written by me, sung and produced by Deviant Ollam. Dear Free-Range Kids: I am currently in a Facebook dispute with the president of the PTO and other moms regarding whether we need to move the…
Readers — This story is not just a tempest in a teacup, it is a tsunami in a thimble: Some 12 year olds went to the movies at a Michigan mall, a survey company asked at least one of them to answer a questionnaire, this lasted 30 minutes and the kid’s parents are OUTRAGED, calling it “borderline kidnapping.” While I agree that if the parents were expecting to meet the kids at a certain time and they were nowhere to be found, that’s egregious, I do not agree that it’s the end of the world as we know it. Worst…
Hi Readers! I’m up in Canada to give some talks to Early Educators, and one of them told me about a school in Paris, Ontario, that has banned Halloween costumes. Why? The school gave whole host of reasons, including the fear that the costumes could upset some children, as could the prospect of wearing a costume. As could possibly losing a part of a costume. As could…every gosh darn thing about the holiday. According to the Brant News (boldface mine): North Ward Principal Cathy Shaheen said the biggest concern is the anxiety some children feel from costumes that are “pushing…
Showing my true colors at last! This is the piece I made with fellow ghouls Jim Epstein and Meredith Bragg at Reason.com: