Readers, I am really enjoying the new book Kevin C. Pyle and Scott Cunningham, “Bad For You: Exposing the War on Fun!” It’s a comic book…er…graphic depiction of everything from products for panicked parents (like the Thudguard helmet for toddlers), to the rise of plastic playgrounds, to the “danger” of Dungeons and Dragons. (And before that — the danger of chess! For real!) Here’s the Bad for You website, and, below, just a little taste of the book. Voila its explanation of: THE MORAL PANIC MEDIA CYCLE In 1972, professor of sociology Stanley Cohen coined the phrase “moral panic” to…
Author: lskenazy
Readers — I love this article from The Daily Telegraph by radio broadcaster Jason Morrison and hope that it’ll clear something up: While it is good to be aware of the possibility of horrors like abuse and kidnapping, it is sickening (and statistically ridiculous) to jump to these assumptions IMMEDIATELY upon simply seeing a man with a child. In this particular case, Jason took his son to the playground: …Charlie had a great time, laughing and playing with the other kids. I was inside the fence that surrounded the play equipment keeping watch. But that was apparently my crime. I…
Hey Readers — I’m sorry this visitor experienced America as a nation of buttinskis convinced that kids are in constant peril of snatching or (God forbid) fatigue. Maybe by the time she comes back, the country will have changed! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: I am Australian and last year I went on a big US trip with my husband and my two girls. My husband was working while I took the girls around on my own to sightsee and OMG I was told on 3 separate occasions that I was a terrible mother. The first time was at the…
Hi Readers! This photo comes to us from blogger Tarja Kelly in Australia. Those are the pages and pages of warnings that came with a Monsters U toy. The kids thought it was a book! Heck, maybe we SHOULD read all this fine print aloud to our kids as a cautionary tale of what happens when you mix childhood and legal departments. It’s Grimm. – L
Readers — This is a post from Australia’s iVillage about a true concern: Death by backyard pool. There as here, drowning is one of the leading causes of child death. Heartbreaking. Nonetheless, banning pools seems like a bad idea. How come? Well I read through some of the comments to find one that articulated my reservations. This is by a guy named Jon S.: I understand one always wants to take measures to prevent deaths, but 16 deaths a year is 0.00000064% of the population. Without sounding horrible that is a very low figure to punish 100% of the population…
Readers — To keep children “safe” from all those strangers who slither in on Election Day, some schools no longer want to serve as polling places. This prompted me to write the song “Strangers in the Schools” to Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night.” I asked you to send in video versions for a contest. The winner is Deviant Ollam! He’ll get a signed copy of Free-Range Kids. (And, since he sometimes comes to NYC, he gets breakfast with me, too!) Spread this video, and thank you to all who submitted! – L. STRANGERS IN THE SCHOOLS by Lenore Skenazy (…
Hi Readers — Here’s my piece in the Huffington Post about yet another moral panic: hordes of hookers descending on the Super Bowl. For insight, I interviewed Maggie McNeill, who blogs at The Honest Cortesan and wrote this terrific piece for Reason on the same topic. Here’s what she told me: …unlike trade shows, big sporting events are actually not good for the prostitution business. “With trade shows, you definitely have an increase,” says McNeill, speaking by phone from the rural home where now she lives, happily married and writing full-time. “We liked to see trade shows, because this meant…
Readers — Sometimes I am ready to jump out of my skin when I read about child “protections” put in place that do nothing but stymie kids’ development. Like this case, about a basketball player sidelined for “safety’s” sake. The standout quote? “The state high school organization made the tough call that Bailey’s prosthetic legs complicate safety for himself and the competition.” So should he NOT play ball? Somehow that’s BETTER for everyone? – L
Readers, my Facebook friend Ali Bergstrom recently showed me a child development form filled out for her son. This is to assess 5-year-old with disabilities: In case this is too hard to read, the benchmarks are: Child may play safely at home without being watched constantly. Goes about familiar environment outside of home with only periodic monitoring for safety. Follows guidelines/expectations of school and community setting. Explores and functions in familiar community settings without supervision. Makes transaction in neighborhood store without assistance. What’s fascinating is that this test is measuring whether a child with disabilities can do the things we…
Readers — Remember, even a feel-good story could always use a frisson of fear! Marie, author of the blog HandbasketNotes, explains: Dear Free-Range Kids: I heard a story on NPR tonight about how kids spent the night at school during the recent Atlanta snow and ice storm and I thought of you. Audie Cornish interviews a teacher who stayed at the school with the kids. The teacher described how the teachers and administrators baked chocolate chip cookies and served them with milk. She told about the kids had a big sleepover, with the girls on gymnastic mats in one area…