Readers — When my son was in fifth grade and annoying the teacher one way or another, his punishment was NO RECESS. Do you think that made him more eager to pay attention, stop squirming and buckle down to work for the rest of the day? That’s why I’m thrilled that no less an institution than the American Academy of Pediatrics has decided to rally for recess. According to this piece by Bonnie Rochman in Time Magazine: Children need to have downtime between complex cognitive challenges,” says Dr. Robert Murray, a pediatrician and professor of human nutrition at Ohio State…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — Please note that this guest post is not ANTI yoga for kids. Nothin’ wrong with bending and stretching, no matter what age. What IS wrong, says Hara Estroff Marano, editor at large at Psychology Today and author of the inspiring, insightful and all together fabulous book A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting, is when yoga becomes a substitute for good old-fashioned free play. When I was asked to be on Fox News today for a feature on kiddie yoga, I deferred to Hara — a friend — because I figured she’d have a…
First fun of the day: Over at Overlawyered.com, iterdikadh there’s a doormat you will LOVE. Wish I had written these warnings, including, “Do not taunt mat.” Check it out here! – L. Woman teaches bad doormat a lesson
A boy in suburban Washington, D.C., was suspended for the absolutely terrifying crime of making his hand into the shape of a gun — surely something no decent, law-abiding 6-year-old has ever even contemplated before. Clearly the boy had murder on his mind…and in his fiendish fingers. Kudos to the thoughtful administrators at Roscoe Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD, for stopping this pint-size madman before he had his way. The boy is forbidden to show up at school today, the first day after vacation. As a school system administrator told News4: “Generally, in an incident involving the behavior…
Hi Readers! Here’s one I could have — and also could NOT have — predicted: Parents of one of the children who was NOT SHOT DEAD at Sandy Hook obtained a lawyer and were hoping to sue the state for $100 million . According to this Reuters story: The unidentified client, referred to as Jill Doe, heard “cursing, screaming, and shooting” over the school intercom when the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, opened fire, according to the claim filed by New Haven-based attorney Irv Pinsky. “As a consequence, the … child has sustained emotional and psychological trauma and injury, the nature…
Hi Readers! Over at the Huffington Post today you can read about a bunch of 2012 Free-Range Kids FAILS, including the stories of parents in two different states arrested for letting their kids play outside unsupervised. (Only one did jail time.) Thanks to Lisa Belkin for requesting the round up! Meantime, a few weeks back I asked you for best and worst Free-Range moments of 2012. Here are a few — and some more are recounted in the HuffPo post. Let’s toast to a 2013 free of unnecessary fears and restrictions for our kids, and a whole lot of joy.…
Just how dangerous is the library when it comes to kids? Apparently too dangerous to have any of them under the age of 12 anywhere on the premises unsupervised — even if their parents are just a room away. Or so goes the reasoning at the Boulder, CO, public library, which sent this letter, in response to a parent’s dismay at the new rule. The boldface is mine. – L. Dear Mr. H: I am sending this reply to your communication of December 14, 2012, on behalf of the Boulder Public Library Commission. The Boulder Public Library Commission received your…
Hi Readers — I don’t pretend that these parents are anything other than off-the-charts weird. But they do give a glimpse at the furthest reaches of helicopter-dom, in that they sent their daughter off to college but continued to drop in on her unannounced — despite the 600 miles that should have separated them — even as they monitored her every phone call and email, electronically. It’s as if they were on the trail of a crime, and in a way, they were. She’s guilty of growing up! In this case, the parents sought to have their seemingly normal, talented daughter…
Hi Readers — A few posts back, I asked you to send in the changes, if any, your schools were making in the wake of Sandy Hook. This one is the strangest. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: I heard from a friend today who went to her first grader’s holiday concert. Not only were they required to sign in, but they had to turn in their car keys in the office! What the heck? What on earth did that accomplish except a huge headache for the admins working in the office? What the heck is all I can say about…
Hi Readers! Normally I write about how we should avoid Worst-First Thinking — thinking up the WORST case scenario FIRST and proceeding as if it’s likely to happen, immediately. But in this case, I was wrong! Look at what happened to this reader’s family just last night! Dear Free-Range Kids: There’s a jolly stranger sneaking in my house tonight… my kids talked to him and now he’s coming here! I am so sorry I even suggested that it is EVER safe for a child to speak to a stranger. I can only hope the guy leaves quickly and that your kids…