Hi Folks! Here’s a lovely letter about an organization I don’t hear much about, living in New York City. But it sounds just great! — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I just got finished helping to enter one of my kids in the local 4-H fair. She will be showing ducks and geese and it is a sun-up to sun-down committment for the whole week. At the end is a form that she had to read and agree to: I believe that my participation in the Open, 4-H and FFA programs should demonstrate my own ability, knowledge and skill…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Folks! Last year I went to a lecture by Tina Sharkey, the CEO of BabyCenter, and one point she made that really resonated was this: If you want to sell something to moms, SAFETY is the magic word. That explains why I found it in this ad: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdPU2-8oY4] If you’ve seen any other ads that manage to promise safety in a product that IS and ALWAYS WAS safe already, let me know! – L. (bumbling her way into the world of vlogging and didn’t want to give away the entire idea in the post or the video would…
Hi Readers — What a story! The boys traveled by themselves, over a thousand miles, to meet the President. Okay, so it happened in 1910. Still, what a great reminder of what kids are CAPABLE of ! And today we dither about sending them to play at the park before dinner! Jeez Louise — let’s get a little perspective! Here’s the Wikipedia entry about the amazing Abernathy boys — Louis and Temple: Louis (sometimes styled Louie) Abernathy was born in Texas in 1899 and Temple Abernathy was born in 1904 in Tipton, Oklahoma. Their father was cowboy and U.S. Marshal…
Hi Folks — This observation struck me as, “Oh my gosh, YES!” It may do the same for you. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: During my daily travels, I pass by several different schools. I’ve noticed a theme when reading their billboards once school is out. Instead of wishing students a fun-filled summer, every single school billboard says, “Have a Safe Summer!” Isn’t that a strange phenomenon? The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. Is summer dangerous? Silly me, I’ve always equated summer with late bedtimes, fireflies, sprinklers, friends and FUN. Never once when returning to…
Hi Folks! Here’s this weekends thought to chew on, from frequent commenter Kenny Felder: Dear Free-Range Kids: I’m not sure how many readers will see the connection between this story [the lifeguard fired for trying to save a man beyond his official area] and Free-Range issues, but it is huge. A lot of the problems we’re running into come when people worry about insurance and lawsuits, and dress up those financial fears in “safety” clothing. . At my high school, for instance, we spend a staggering amount of time and money lining up parent volunteers to drive our students to…
Hi Readers! Here’s a gem of Worst-First thinking — dreaming up the WORST case scenario FIRST and proceeding as if it’s about to happen. — L Dear Free-Range Kids: I ran across this local article here in Utah last week. They are starting to ban throwing candy to parade viewers because of the possibility that a child will run into the road and get run over by a float. In the many years they’ve held parades in Utah, where they have about a parade a week in the summer in different communities (the one in this article…
Hi Folks! It’s vacation time for many. Here’s a guest post by Nancy Harper, a Canadian mom, writer and travel junkie who lives on a farm in Ontario. She’s author of Travellin’ Mama: A Parent’s Guide to Ditching the Routine, Seeing the World and Taking the Kids Along for the Ride, and the instigator of her family’s upcoming odyssey through Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Her travels sound great except for the PART ABOUT NO LIFE JACKETS!!! (And the crocodiles, of course.) – L Why I’m a Travelin’ Mama Pre-kids, my love affair with travel started rather tentatively — just…
Hi Readers! I posted this yesterday because I loved it so much and it seemed so perfect for the Fourth of the July. Here it is again, ready for a little more attention after a day off work and, for many, off-line. Enjoy. – L Dear Free-Range Kids: I take my nephews to airshows. The first thing that I do is to take them to the biggest plane there (usually a C-5) and tell them that if we get seperated go to the big plane. I will be there waiting for you. We’ve never had a problem. Several years…
Hi Readers — With summer in full gear, let me request you all to teach your children to swim. Free-Range Kids believes in safety and resourcefulness and swimming lessons! — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: My family has been spending most of our time at our local swim club. I’m happy to say it is a Free-Range parent’s dream: five acres of land and multiple pools. Kids running freely with their friends while parents can have conversations and enjoy the adult swims. The swim club is still pretty old school but I’ve noticed some changes. They took out the diving boards…
Folks — Here’s a story that manages to encapsulate exactly why “stranger danger” is such a stupid — no, HARMFUL — concept to preach. On Saturday afternoon, a little girl named Jackie was reported missing in a state park in Rhode Island. As The Westerly Sun reported: At 3:50 p.m., Charlestown police received a report of a child missing at the 3,100-acre campground. The child, a 7-year-old girl from Connecticut named Jackie with shoulder-length blonde hair, had been last seen wearing a tie-dyed bathing suit and pink Croc clogs, riding her bicycle. The bike was found on the park’s yellow-dot…