Readers — This letter has me shaking with every unpleasant emotion: Rage, frustration and, sorry to admit this, contempt. It is a perfect snapshot of the way excessive fear for kids coupled with authority can turn parenting into a defensive art, where we must FIGHT for our right to raise kids the way we believe is safe and good. It comes to us from a mom named Anna who lives with her boyfriend, 10-year-old daughter and two cats in Rockville, MD. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: There is something about school administrators that can make even the most accomplished adult…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Folks! Here’s a letter from prison…er…Chuck E. Cheese, sent to us by Angelica Totten, who originally posted it on her Facebook page. I so agree that the policy at Chuck E’s is not only overkill, it’s cultural pollution, spreading the idea that predators are always lurking near kids and ready to kidnap them if we don’t maintain a police-state-like vigilance. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: This culture of fear HAS to change. We are making ourselves into crazy people. Went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time ever and it wasn’t as bad as I’ve always heard (although…
Hi Readers — Here’s a story getting a lot of attention, for what I think are good reasons. As reported in today’s Toronto Star: A York Region mother is fighting to have oak trees removed near her child’s school, fearing that acorns could pose a deadly threat to students with severe allergies. Donna Giustizia said the young trees on property owned by the City of Vaughan next to the St. Stephen Catholic Elementary School are littering the area with acorns. The school, meanwhile, is nut-free to protect students with potentially life-threatening anaphylactic allergies. “A false sense of security is putting…
Hey Folks — This was written in response to the post a few down from here, about a Girl Scout troop where the girls are making s’mores with marshmallow fluff instead of toasted marshmallows, presumably so no one gets hurt. One of the big-time tenets of Free-Range Kids is that kids are safer than our culture gives them credit for. In fact, the more responsibility we give them, the SAFER they become because they’re more resourceful and prepared! Here’s what they are capable of, when we train and trust them. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: Please… here are some of…
Hi folks. Let’s give this mom some ammo! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: My son’s school district has just instituted a no running policy during recess. I am, of course, appalled by this, feeling that the kids need to be able to blow off a little steam during those 10 minutes of their day. Plus, kids need more exercise, not less. What’s next, no running for soccer/baseball/lacrosse practice? Every other parent I have spoke to in our district about this is also opposed to the policy. I am ready to organize a fight to get our kids running again. I…
Hi Folks! A new development on the safety front to ponder o’er the weekend! – L Dear Free-Range Kids: A few weeks ago, my daughter’s girl scout troop was invited to a sing-a-long with other troops, and they would have s’mores. There was a bubble on the form telling parents not to worry… the s’mores will be campfire-free and made with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow fluff. Really?!?! She’s in third grade. I remember in first grade making sit-upons (and roasting my own marshmallow), second grade the rolled newspaper and wax fire starters (and roasting my own marshmallow) and third…
Hi Readers! My favorite quote from college was, “Action breaks the cycle.” You can think and think and think, but when you finally TAKE ACTION, things change. Here’s a story of just that, sent to us by Aimée Lafrenière Turner, who Tweets @AimeeLTurner and blogs at The Maine Page Turner. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: When my son was in the 2
Hi Folks — Here’s a nice story from Leslie in Georgia, and a response from her friend that has me shaking my head. Is NOTHING safe enough? NOTHING? Not the most normal, delightful, sane, sweet slice of childhood, as dangerous as a daisy? To many Americans, the answer is simply nope, nothing IS safe enough. Next question please. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Wanted to share a quick Free Range victory… Background: we live in a gated “country club” community, on a quiet street off the main avenue. There are very few kids on our street for my six-year-old to…
Hi Folks — It constantly stuns me how much we don’t believe in our kids, convinced they will be hurt, frustrated, killed or bored without our constant ministrations. But to see this standard of supervision extended to dogs is fairly knock-me-down-with-a-chew-toy shocking. There’s something about our society that CLAIMS it is for all-natural this and that, but it is for the most unnatural ideals of parenting people and pets EVER. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: This came across my Facebook page from an East Coast friend who’s another Free-Ranger. She and I adopted rescue dogs about the same time, and…
Hi Folks — Here’s a totally fascinating topic that I didn’t realize was quite so widespread: The daily, sometimes hourly, online updates about our children’s grades. My sons’ schools both have programs like the one described below, but I don’t have them on my phone so I don’t check them very much. It seems to be the schools’ assumption, however, that I should. As such, they are demanding a kind of two-fer: The kid AND parent, as a team. It reminds me of the way “arrival” and “dismissal” morphed into “drop off” and “pick up.” The assumption is that OF…