This morning I was on Irish radio to talk about Maddie McCann, the 3-year-old stolen from her hotel room in Portugal seven years ago. The point I tried to make was actually one that a reader once put so eloquently here: “Can we stop acting as though the most unlikely thing is the most LIKELY thing?” To remind us of what’s LIKELY, here’s a happy little Free-Range story from Alicia Noack, a writer and mom living in Austin. She blogs at aliciafinnnoack.com. Dear Free-Range Kids: All my friends who read that recent Atlantic article keep saying “I want to…
Author: lskenazy
Readers — Sometimes a phenom needs a name before we start to recognize it, so I am hereby declaring incidents like this one (and this one, this one, and even “experiments” like this one) “Driving While Male.” In this latest story, the facts are simply that a man driving a car spoke to some kids. This occasioned a report, below. But oftentimes, the driver doesn’t even need to speak. The mere presence of a male in a car anywhere near a school, bus stop or child is enough to inspire notes home from school, Facebook posts and news stories: Newport…
Voila — a Facebook thread from Cherry Hill, NJ. Names removed to protect them from being kidnapped! Or whatever. (You just can’t be too safe!) Most upsetting to me is the idea that if a child is walking home, something is wrong and the authorities should become involved. I like how Ed, towards the end, manages to shift the focus. (Boldface is mine): ORIGINAL POSTER: Hello everyone I’m not sure how to deal with a situation that I have encountered twice so far this school year,, today as I was waiting for the light on Morris and Springdale around 3:45…
Don’t turn paranoia into policy! That’s the plea of this phenomenal Globe & Mail editorial. It was written because the Toronto District School Board is considering requiring background checks for all volunteer, a move the paper calls — …a classic case of policy overreach preying on parental fear that eclipses common sense. Schools depend on volunteer parents to function. Parents, in turn, are eager for the opportunity, and raise their hands in droves. There are currently 32,000 on the TDSB’s volunteer lists. Tens of thousands of parent volunteers have passed through school hallways since amalgamation. The proposed new rule…
Readers — Here’s my piece on The Huffington Post, about the “college prep” kindergarten. It goes on to talk about the amazing Peter Gray: A kindergarten in New York has cancelled its end-of-the-year kiddie show in order to devote more time to college and career prep. In a letter to parents, the teachers explained: The reason for eliminating the Kindergarten show is simple. We are responsible for preparing children for college and career with valuable lifelong skills and know that we can best do that by having them become strong readers, writers, coworkers and problem solvers. Please… know that we…
Readers — One of you just sent in this remarkable excerpt from “The Emerald City of Oz,” one of 13 “Wizard of Oz” sequels L. Frank Baum churned out. Interestingly, Baum’s Wikipedia bio says that, “His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers…and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing.” Looks like he also anticipated “worst-first thinking.” Read my recent posts and you’ll see how they almost ALL would fit into this Oz story: 23. How They Encountered the FlutterbudgetsThey were soon among the pretty hills and valleys again, and the Sawhorse sped up…
Reader — I loved everything about this column except its perhaps inevitable conclusion. It’s by Alan Newland, a former teacher and headteacher in London who now lectures on teaching and runs the site newteacherstalk. He’s recalling being a brand new teacher taking his Year 6 kids (10 year olds) on a field trip to the dinosaurs 20 years ago (boldface mine): THE DAY I LOST A CHILD ON THE TUBE by Alan Newland …I had 30 kids. I was on my own (except for a mum who worked part-time at the school – known in those days as “a Lady…
Readers — I like this piece by Janell Burrely Hofmann, mom of five, public speaker, and author of iRules: What Every Tech Healthy Family Needs to Know About Selfies, Sexting, Gaming and Growing Up. Most of all, I appreciate her reminding us that imperfect parenting used to be considered NORMAL. Now it is UNACCEPTABLE…even though perfect parenting doesn’t exist! No wonder parents feel bad all the time! While she’s writing about how parents deal with their kids’ use of technology, her point is valid in all realms of parenting: No one has all the answers. Luckily, no one NEEDS all…
Readers — Here’s hoping this piece from yesterday’s New York Times starts a trend: Talk to the stranger next to you and have a nice day. Really — you WILL have a nicer day: Hello, Stranger By ELIZABETH DUNN and MICHAEL NORTON If you’ve ever been on a subway or public bus, you know the rules. Don’t make eye contact, stay as far away from other people as the space allows, and for the love of God, don’t talk to anyone. But what if the rules are wrong? The behavioral scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder approached commuters in a…
Readers — Some day, sooner rather than later, I would like the idea of not trusting men around kids to be considered as repulsive as racism. At that time, opinion pieces like this one will seem completely wild and disgusting by all but the lunatic fringe. – L. I Don’t Want My Kids Sitting Next to a Man on a Plane, by Tracey Spicer I know it’s sexist. But I don’t want my kids sitting next to a man on a plane. Sure, almost 90 per cent of child sexual abuse is committed by someone in, or known to, the…