Readers — It is with joy that I inform you that the Boulder Public Library has voted to junk its “No children under age 12 in the library without an adult” rule and replace it with the far better rule that kids in need of supervision must be accompanied by an adult. What a wonderful decision. You may recall that the original ruling, discussed here, stated: “The libraries are public buildings, and, open to everyone. Because the library is a public place, a child’s safety cannot be guaranteed. Children may encounter hazards such as stairs, elevators, doors, furniture, electrical…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — Here’s a “news” story that goes on for over three minutes (a lifetime in TV!) about a 5-year-old who was dropped off by the school bus at the wrong time, with no one to pick her up. I’m very sorry it happened but I’m almost sorrier that this is what passes for news: Oh my God! Something went wrong and a child was involved and it was confusing and annoying! How can we LIVE in a world like that? Alert the media! Me, I’m glad to live in a time that is SO SAFE that a…
Hi Readers — Here’s a cool study from Loyola University about something that doesn’t surprise me at all: The more that kids play on their own, the less likely they are to get injured while playing their organized sports. A press release about the study was titled, “To Protect Against Injuries, Young Athletes May Need to Play More Just for Fun.” It says: One way to avoid injuries in young athletes may be for them to simply spend more time in unorganized free play such as pick-up games, a Loyola University Medical Study has found. In a first-of-its-kind study, sports…
Hi Readers — This letter to the editor of the News Journal in Longview, TX, made me sad AND sick. Mostly I am disheartened by the way we so easily jump to the idea that if there’s a male near a kid, there’s something suspicious about the male. – L. An open letter to the person who called police on me at the water park: I would like to say I don’t have any hard feelings toward you but, unlike you, I try to be honest. I’m working on it because hard feelings only hurt the one who holds them.…
Readers, here’s the question that nags at me almost every day: How did we go from a time when we basically trusted our kids, our neighborhoods and our own parenting skills — even when we knew there were scary things out there — to a generation today that almost slathers itself in terror? A time now when we believe that our kids are constantly in danger not just from criminals, but from crippling disappointment if we don’t actively demonstrate, every single second, how proud we are of them, and how interested, and how nearby? Why do we think our kids…
Hey Readers Here’s a note about insurance issues, and modern-day instincts, that I really appreciate. It comes to us from Ann, a mom of three girls who blogs at houseofestrogen.com. (What a great blog name! ) — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Yesterday, my 11 year old fell off a piece of playground equipment at school (she called it a “spinny thing”) and broke her ankle. When I picked her up at school, I didn’t question what happened, when the playground equipment was last inspected, or who was supervising. I just took her to urgent care with the understanding that these…
Readers — I get the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s alerts every day and this one slimed out at me: Fisher-Price is officially alerting all owners of its Rock ‘n Play Infant Sleeper that it is filled with large, sharp rocks to play with. No. I joke. It’s alerting consumers to the fact the bouncy seat can develop mold if it’s not cleaned properly. But…so can bellybuttons. So did all my children’s plastic bath toys. So can guacamole hidden behind the olives at the back of the fridge. (Don’t ask how I know.) Here’s the actual description of the heinous infraction…
Hi Readers — This came in as one of the comments on the post below this one, about a device that lets parents track their child’s every text, photo, phone call and move. I found it most interesting (and I’m worried about the writer’s friend). – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: When I was a child, I had a friend whose parents would check his backpack every day after school, “just in case.” After a while, he noticed the recurring theme with this, and started figuring out ingenious ways to conceal “illicit” objects from his parents. Back then it was little…
Hi Readers — I got this the other day and, as you can see, the company WANTS me to share this info with you, you so I am. Verbatim. It assumes all of you are A) Moms and B) “Struggling” with the fear that your child is in constant danger of bad behavior and/or kidnapping. Now you can act just like the FBI with a warrant to track a dangerous criminal — your child! Because trusting and talking is sooo 2012. — L. P.S. Boldface is mine. As are the remarks in brackets. Dear Free-Range Kids: I would…
Hi Folks! Here in my burg, New York City, we are preparing for a possible strike by school bus drivers. That would leave about 150,000 children without their usual transit to school. If this comes to pass, the city has stated it will issue free Metro Cards (our bus/subway tickets) to all students, and also to the parents of kids in grades K-2. What does that say to me? Our government trusts kids in grade 3 and up to take public transit WITHOUT their parents. By themselves. On their own. Solo. Third graders are ages 8 and 9. So the…