Folks — If you felt like you were living in a kind of sane country, take a peek at this: Yes, aesnadedeh it’s a terrorist drill on a school bus. I truly could not understand from this report (or Googling) if the students knew the attack was fake or not. They probably did, or just imagine the lawsuits. Nonetheless, it is nothing less than bizarre that while they were being “hijacked,” school administrators and sundry responsible adults sat in folding chairs in a parking lot across town watching a big-screen live feed of the event. And then, as the…
Author: lskenazy
So it has only taken me about three decades to finally see itekskshrb “Stand By Me.” And now, like every convert to everything, ever, I want everyone to watch it. The four 7th grade boys off in search of a dead body (knowing this doesn’t spoil the movie at all) embody the kind of Free-Range childhood many of us think we remember, even if we lived in the ‘burbs and the closest we got to death was watching Goldie swirl down the toilet. But what those boys had, besides an adventure, was time on their own. Time to be silly,…
Hi Folks! Let’s give this lady some great ideas besides the one I’ll start with: I’d want my kids hanging out with a bunch of other kids and some balls, crayons, chalk and boxes! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: We’re opening a “Free-Range” daycare center this winter (fingers crossed that we’re ready) on 2.5 acres a ways east of Vancouver, BC. While I have a lot of great ideas for the kids, I’m stumped on how to meet my “obligations” (as defined by our very modern city) and my own goals for kids (mine and any others here). And…
Readers — This Atlantic.com essay by Christine Gross-Loh, author of Parenting Without Borders, does a great job of shooting the alarmists down. (Couldn’t resist!) The Free-Range Kids angle? One of the chapters in my book is called, “Relax! Not Every Little Thing You Do Has That Much Impact on Your Child’s Development.” That includes curating their toys. – L. Keeping Kids from Toy Guns: How One Mother Changed her Mind by Christine Gross-Loh When my husband was growing up, the only boy in a family of all girls, his mother didn’t allow him to have any toy guns. He…
Readers — I sit here IN my Payless sneakers, my Payless flats right beside me. I’m a Payless FAN, but not of this ad: Excuse me — ALL SUMMER this woman’s kids have been INSIDE? All the joys of playing ball, bobbing in an inner tube and throwing a Frisbee take place in her LIVING ROOM? The kids don’t leave till they GO TO SCHOOL?!! This is culture CHANGING in front of our eyes, folks! Yes, I know the ad is tongue in cheek. But the message we are getting along with our bargain shoes is that even on the…
Hi Folks! How I love your nose for non-news! Here’s one of the many notes I got today about the “frightening” story that’s gone viral: Dear Free-Range Kids: Here is the link to something I just saw on Facebook. http://kyeos.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/warning-if-you-take-photos-with-your-cell-phone/ Using technology to track where “Little Madison” goes to school and the corner of the playground where she once had her picture taken seems like a lot of (busy) work for a predator. What kills me even more, and I can’t necessarily put this into words, is how the chain of communication of this stuff works. The news does a…
Hey Readers — This fall I’m going to be offering a continuing ed class for parents through New York City’s Hunter College. But first…it needs a name! I’m wondering if you could vote on which name you like best. Here goes! (Sorry there are so many.) 1 – RAISING A LEADER…BY BACKING OFF 2 – HOW TO STOP WORRYING SO MUCH ABOUT YOUR KIDS* *FOR THEIR SAKE AND YOURS! 3 – HOW TO STOP OVERWORRYING ABOUT YOUR KIDS 4 – KEEPING YOUR KIDS SAFE…WITHOUT HOVERING 5 – HOW TO BE A PERFECT PARENT AND RAISE A…
Folks — Something to ponder on a Sunday: Dear Free-Range Kids: As a Free-Range parent living in England, I look to classic children’s literature for inspiration and confidence about giving my sons the freedom to be children, exploring and having adventures on their own. I thought I would pass along a suggestion to other Free-Range parents and hope to get new ideas in return. The Swallows and Amazons books, by Arthur Ransome, were favorites of mine as a child. Written in the early 1930s, the language is dated in places, but the children seem surprisingly modern and I bet today’s…
Folks — I just got a letter from a reader wondering what Free-Range thing she can do that won’t get her shunned by the other parents or cited by some uptight cop. My answer: Do something YOU loved doing as a child that you wish you could let your child do, too. Let your child make a s’more or walk around the neighborhood or knock on a friend’s door or play in the park with a sibling but without you — or go to the movies. You’re the parent, so you know that you wouldn’t send your 2 year old…
Tales from a Fear-Racked Country: Dear Free-Range Kids: My 4 year old wants to play lemonade stand and my apartment complex doesn’t allow lemonade stands. I approached friends if I could use their driveways, but they are afraid of the liability. A friend suggested in front of the post office, but they said no. Then I thought of the local farmers market and I was told that I would need a health department inspection. What is the world coming to where a 4 year old can’t have a lemonade stand? live in Pompton Lakes, NJ which is a middle class…