Hi Folks! Here’s another essay by David Bond, the British filmmaker working on Project Wild Thing, a documentary about trying to market nature. I think he’s really onto something with the idea of fighting fire with fire — or at least salesmanship with salesmanship. Except nature doesn’t have a marketing budget. — L. Me — The Barrier, by David Bond When I ask my children why they would rather watch TV than go outside, they say television is more fun. But what is fun for a 3 and a 5-year-old? Their tastes are hugely influenced by mine. They emulate me,…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Folks! Just a quickie: The kids in this Michigan story, 12 and 15, walked to the library on their own. When it was time to go, the temperature had fallen and, according to this article, “library staff” would not allow them to walk home. So they called their mom to come get them. She was busy at their grandmother’s and said no. Next thing you know: The children were taken to Farmington Hills Police headquarters at 11 Mile and Orchard Lake Roads. The officer spoke to their mother, who said she was upset that the children called for a…
Hi Folks! This provocative piece on a topic I hadn’t encountered before comes to us from Elizabeth Ely. She blogs at Kitchen Sink Included, where she tells stories, preserves memories, and shares opinions that she simply can’t keep to herself. Like this one! – L. KEEP THE U.N. OUT OF PARENTING by Elizabeth Ely Why should Free-Range parents have any interest in a United Nations Convention treaty currently up for ratification before the U.S. Senate? I’ll give you a short answer: Because the treaty would make government, rather than parents, the ultimate authority on what constitute the “best interests” of…
Readers — Here’s a fun little weekend story. Yes, I realize it’s from The Daily Mail, but it does seem like it actually happened: A young man buying some microwave pudding in an English supermarket set off some sort of alarm at the checkout station. What happened next, according to the fellow, was: ‘The woman who was monitoring the self-service checkouts came over and asked me for identification showing I was 18. I asked her why and was stunned when she told me: “It gets hot when you cook it — and you may burn yourself”. Surely the same can…
Readers — This story is so strange, it’s almost like watching a sci-fi army come marching out of the TV. (Does anyone remember TV? It’s like a computer, but you can’t ask it questions.) Anyway, the piece is by a dad named Paul Wallich who begins this way: On school-day mornings, I walk my grade-school-age son 400 meters down the hill to the bus stop. Last winter, I fantasized about sitting at my computer while a camera-equipped drone followed him overhead. So this year, I set out to build one. The dad then details all the tinkering involved (paging NASA!)…
Hey Readers! Kindly allow me to interrupt this blog to advertise for a moment. It’s gift-giving season, so why not think Free-Range, as in the book itself, just .53! Lots of laughs, tips and a look at how we got so scared. It’s got a 4.6 outta 5 rating in 118 reviews on Amazon. Not too shabby! And while we’re at it, why not give the gift of spunky self-assertion? The Free-Range Kids Gift Shop (well, our Cafe Press shop) is filled with lovely items, including America’s Worst Mom (or Dad) sweatshirts, t-shirts and hats. For non-Americans (or Americans who…
Hi Readers! Did you know I spent 14 years on staff at the New York Daily News? Sure did — and loved it. I was a features writer then promoted to a columnist on the oped page. That was wonderful, too. (Till the day I was let go. But that’s another story.) Anyway, point is, I love newspapers, and tabloids in particular, but they CAN drive readers crazy. Here’s how. This was a headline in The New York Post about a week ago: Robberies Soaring in Prospect Park. Prospect Park is the Central Park of Brooklyn (designed by the same…
Hi Folks! This being the round-up time of year, I’m wondering if maybe we shouldn’t be doing a round-up of our own. To that end, I’d love you to submit, below, any Free-Range moment that warmed your heart…or any incident of totally unnecessary worrying/warning/coddling/chiding/CYA-ing or waiver-writing that you witnessed or had to deal with when YOU felt your kids were fine, but some segment of society did not. The “perps” can be anyone from passersby to principals to CPS and beyond. I’m also looking for any silly rules or regulations you came upon. So think back on a year of…
Hi Readers — This note arrived about three years ago and I was saving it for some reason. It almost became my sacred creed. Now I want to run it. It needs no intro except: She’s right. — L. Dear Lenore, We spend a lot of time trying to control for risks in the lives of our children. We feed them right, we teach them to look both ways, we try devilishly hard to balance exercise and play with rest and work. But sometimes, despite our careful planning and watching and guiding, things just happen. Three weeks ago, my 9-year-old…
H Folks! I was interviewed for this article on the site PTMoney. Turns out it is one of the most cogent things I’ve ever read about the Kiddie Safety Industrial Complex, in this case, how parents end up overspending on safety for their kids, even though their kids would be extremely safe even at a lower “price point.” What a cool topic! Kudos to Emily Guy Birken for great reporting! – L. ARE WE OVERSPENDING ON CHILD SAFETY? by Emily Guy Birken November is National Child Safety Month — an observance that I personally look on with great suspicion. That…