I know some folks may think there’s a good reason Illinois’ Madison County Health Department shut down 11-year-old Chloe Stirling’s cupcake business. But here’s what bugs me: If you are buying cupcakes from a kid, you KNOW they’re not being baked at Entenmann’s headquarters. And that’s a “risk” you are taking. A society that doesn’t even allow microscopic risks is a society more obsessed with rules and liabilities than gumption and frosting. Me? I’m in the gumption/frosting camp. – L. (Maybe Chloe can raise enough money for a non-time-delayed headset for the local reporter!)
Author: lskenazy
Readers — This powerful comment came in response to my piece about the New Jersey woman who let her toddler sleep in the car for 5-10 minutes while she ran an errand. She was arrested, found guilty of abuse or neglect, and put on the state’s Child Abuse Registry. Two weeks ago, a New Jersey appeals court upheld that conviction. I love this letter: Often as not, the Child Abuse and Sex Offender Registries are out to SHAME, not SAVE. (Prop stockade from BJWinslow)Dear Free-Range Kids: I think what we’re really seeing here is just our country’s punitive mindset. It’s…
Readers, This blog, Math With Bad Drawings, says something I’m always trying to say — but adds bad drawings! Here are a few gems from the post, “Headlines from a Mathematically Literate World.” Our World: One Dead in Shark Attack; See Tips for Shark Safety Inside Mathematically Literate World: One Dead in Tragic, Highly Unlikely Event; See Tips for Something Useful Inside And Our World: Rates of Cancer Approach Historic High Mathematically Literate World: Rates of Surviving Long Enough to Develop Cancer Approach Historic High So when, for instance, you read this (real) headline, that ran in the New York…
Readers — A bunch of you have been sending this fantastic story from New Zealand, where a school abandoned its plans to build a fancy, new playground because there were just too many regulations and expenses. Instead, it decided to let kids play the old-fashioned way, by making their own fun. The results? Astounding. As the principal noted: “When you look at our playground it looks chaotic. From an adult’s perspective, it looks like kids might get hurt, but they don’t.” What’s more: Mudslides, skateboarding, bullrush [which sounds like Kiwi Red Rover] and tree climbing kept the children so occupied…
Hey Readers — Here’s a piece I wrote for the Wall Street Journal a little while back that I can now legally reprint here! Bringing Up Baby and Fretting About Vital Signs New gadgets, like diapers that monitor kidney function, are turning baby nurseries into ICUs. By LENORE SKENAZY Almost anything you can put on a baby is cute. A hat. Sunglasses. A bib (especially the one that says, “Some moron put my cape on backwards!”). But now comes the Owlet Baby Monitor—a little electronic device strapped to a sock at bedtime. It measures your baby’s heart rate, blood oxygen…
Yep, kids built a fort on an empty lot. Then someone called in a complaint. First off, here’s the letter the kids wrote to the city: Dear City, Please do not tear this house down! We have all worked for almost a year on it, for hours and hours. We have all had fun climbing on it, camping in it, having picnics in it. Many happy memories were forged here. We all hope that it won’t be torn down. So please don’t tear it down! Can you guess what happened next? Here’s the story, from KCTV in Missouri. Missouri! Isn’t…
From my mailbox, ever-filled with flacks seeking publicity: Hi there — Hope you’re well. Wanted to reach out quickly with an interesting snow storm related story idea: with kids stuck at home with a snow day, they are more likely to be on their smartphones/computers, increasing the chances of them cyberbullying someone or getting cyberbullied themselves…. If you’re interested, I have a client that launched the first anti-cyberbullying app today… What’s next? “Hi there. Hope you’re well. With all the snow, your children will be surrounded by white crystals, perhaps starting them on a tragic life of cocaine addiction….” And…
Hi Folks! Let me start by saying my own sons do the dishes only occasionally. That’s why I usually shy away from “parenting tips.” I don’t think there are a bunch of items you have to check off before you can call yourself a Free-Range parent (or even a “good” one). But I do like the way this mom, Melissa, got her kids helping out at home. She’s a mom of 5 kids 9 and under, and started the how-to video site, CloudMom. The Key to Getting Kids To Do Chores, by Melissa Widespread media reports of our spoiled and…
Readers — Here’s my piece that’s in today’s New York Post! The site doesn’t take comments, but if you want to write a letter to the editor, drop one to: letters@nypost.com. NJ court takes ‘child neglect’ to extremes by Lenore Skenazy Did you ever wait in the car while your mom ran an errand? New Jersey says you were abused — and your mom was a criminal. In an appeals court decision last week, three judges ruled that a mother who left her toddler sleeping in his car seat while she went into a store for five to 10 minutes…
Readers — I always love Jen Singer’s funny, thoughtful take on things. It’s nice to see her son appreciate her, too! — L Mom, You Did Something Right. “Wait, What?” by Jen Singer, a.k.a., MommaSaid January 15, 2014 When your parenting is chronicled for all to see, you run the risk of screwing it up in a big public way. Or you can get something right. As we approach MommaSaid’s 11th birthday, I am pleased to report that my own child told me that I had done something right when it comes to parenting. He and his buddy Drew were…