Readers — The very best thing about this horrifying story (tweeted about it the other day) is this perfect comment about the school nurse who watched a boy slip into unconsciousness because of a form not signed. (It didn’t even matter that he had his medicine with him and the medicine had his name on it): Policy is meaningless if it is followed in blind obedience without consideration of the full consequences of not deviating. Right! I think that a lot of what is driving us all crazy about incidents like this, and Zero Tolerance absurdities, and even CPS travesties,…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! Quite a few of you sent in this story, now gone viral, about the high school principal who suspended upward of 6o students for their “prank” — a mass bike ride to school. As WOOD TV reported: Seniors called police for an escort, and even called Walker’s mayor, who rode in the parade. “Police escort, with the mayor, who brought us donuts. …The mayor brought us donuts…” said a group of seniors following the ride. But school official weren’t told in advance, hence the word prank, and were not happy with the event. They kicked the seniors out…
Hi Folks — Just got this stirring letter from a mom named Cathy. She was responding to a comment on the Free-Range For or Against forum by another mom, Heather, whose father was an abuser. Heather believes that an adult who doesn’t want to constantly supervise his/her kids is not only putting them in danger, but has “issues” and needs psychological help. — L. @ Heather-I am so sorry for the pain and trauma and immense fear you obviously still carry around with you. I hope you are in treatment. I am a survivor of physical abuse at the hands…
Hi Readers — I’m going to be on Dr. Drew tonight discussing the idea of letting kids play outside on their own, a topic inspired by Saturday’s “Take Our Children to the Park…and Leave Them There” Day. If you have allowed your children to play outside, unsupervised, either on the holiday or on any other day, the Dr. Drew folks might want you to call in and talk about it on air. (Or they just might read aloud the story.) So they’d like you to do two things: 1 – Write your story here and indicate YEA or NAY if…
Hey Readers! ALCATRAZ PARENTING. Let’s popularize that term, okay? We need it, because we’re getting to the point when children are monitored by GPS, cell phone and camera in ways prison wardens can only dream of! Check out this ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkLi2HM0KAg The mom says she has cameras “in the playroom, the living room, the kitchen. And from my mobile phone and computer I can check in on them any time and it just gives me some added peace of mind.” Great. And just what does it give the children? That added sense that Big Mother is watching. That sense that…
Hi Readers! This is so inspirational — Britain’s National Trust has come up with a list of 50 things kids should do before they’re 12. These include take a look inside a tree, watch the sun come up, go sledding, make a mud pie… Many of them sound great, a few sound impossible unless you’re living in the outback. But the rationale behind them all makes a ton of sense: We tend to think of childhood “enrichment” as something involving classes and museums (and car rides and money). But free time, exploring and doing things YOURSELF are enriching, too. Which…
Hi Readers! Get a load of this lovely piece by Time Magazine’s Bonnie Rochman! And don’t forget: The holiday is this Saturday! Take your kids (age 7 and up) the local park at around 10 in the morning and hopefully a lot of other kids will be gathering, too. Then leave! Details in that great Time Magazine piece. Now if only they’d put a photo of me on the cover with a breast exposed… Or maybe not. — L.
…Via this fantastic commercial. Actually, I’d never heard of the advertiser before — it’s Halfords, which, according to its Twitter feed, is the U.K.’s “leading retailer of automotive, leisure and cycling products.” It also seems to be a leader in supporting Free-Range Kids! (And, okay, nostalgia. But it’s legit!) Let’s hope seeing all the fun that kids can have outside, on their own, reminds everyone to celebrate Saturday’s holiday: TAKE OUR CHILDREN TO THE PARK…AND LEAVE THEM THERE DAY! Spread the word![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qrCRPnqlms]
Hi Folks! Here’s an update on today’s story about the five seniors suspended from Indiana’s Cascade High School for decorating it, at night, with Post-It Notes. Now a whopping 67 students have been suspended, because they were protesting the suspension of the Cascade Five. As you can hear in the TV report — presented by the stations “Crime Beat” reporter (making you wonder what exactly constitutes crime in Indiana) — the kids who did the “prank” got permission from a school board member and the head custodian. And even if they didn’t, I agree with one of the commenters on…
Hi Readers — So here’s the story: Five high school seniors in Indiana went into their school after hours, when it was officially off-limits, and decorated it with 10,000 Post-It notes. They used the notes to create a big, cheery “2012” on the gym floor, for instance. They made bright patterns on the doors, and another big “2012” on some windows. And for this, they were suspended for two days (during finals) and the janitor who supervised them got fired. What kills me most, though, is how the superintendent described the event: “It was just Post-It notes: no damage, thank…