Readers — You’ll love the answer Dear Prudence gives to this mom who is freaked out by an elderly man — a friend of her parents — who gives her 5-year-old daughter “gifts” like shells and feathers. Let’s hear it for Dear Prudence! She is so…prudent! And wise! As she tells the mom: …from your description of this situation, my gut feeling is that you have overactive mommy bowels. If you see every friendly man as a potential predator, you’re going to convey unnecessary fear and anxiety to your children. And while we’re on the subject of bowel-churning fear of…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Folks! I want to give these girls a hug! They’re four friends, 12 and 13, who have organized a “Hug In” at their school, where the motto is, “No loving, no shoving.” A motto that makes about as much sense as, “No saving, no shooting.” Ah, but ostensibly the unofficial rule is to “help” students by protecting them from shoving and unwanted touching. So wouldn’t a “No shoving, no unwanted touching” rule be a lot more helpful? Instead, the specter of Zero Tolerance reared its unlovable head, and friendly hugs got swept into the mix. The administrators insist they…
Hi Folks! Too soon to know if this is a trend or just an outrageous blip, but over in New South Wales — the Australian state Sydney is in — the authorities have passed a law that if you’re under 22 and want to work in one of the local “clubs” (that is, casinos), you have to pass a “BullyCheck.” Yep. They call your old school to ask if you were a bully. If you were (or at least appeared to someone to be one), you won’t get the job. Ostensibly this is to convince kids that bullying has real…
Hi Folks! “Mom Arrested for for Age-Old Parenting Practice” is how I would headline this case going down in New Canaan, CT, right now. But the actual article begins, “A 39-year-old woman was arrested for leaving her children at home unattended, police said.” Are children “unattended” if there are four siblings and one of them is 13? (And another is 10?) I’d say that’s the very definition of “attended.” What happened in this particular case is that the 4-year-old sibling some how got out of the house and ventured across the street. Whereupon a “good” Samaritan called the police. To…
Hi Folks! It’s time for all of us to start getting together, especially as summer looms. So Saturday, June 23 is Free-Range Potluck Picnic Day! If you want to host a picnic, just write an invite in the comments, below, or email me at heylenore3@gmail.com . I will list any and all get-togethers in an upcoming blog post. Include the time, the place — a local park or block or home — the Zip Code and a way people can contact you (email address or Facebook page). Also a raindate. And meanwhile, if you are anywhere in the New York…
Hi Folks! Got this letter in response to the post about “Fannie” and “Dick” becoming Frannie and Rick in the updated Enid Blyton oeuvre. (Hardest thing to spell since “hors d’oeuvres.” Which, come to think of it, is the same word.) Anyway, this note comes to us from Sarah Thompson, who describes herself as a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom of two boys, ages 2 and 4. — L Dear Free- Range Kids: Since Enid Blyton has passed away, it does not seem fair to tamper with her work. I would hate to think that if I’m ever fortunate enough to…
Hi Folks! Lynden Dorvel, a high school physics teacher in Edmonton, Canada, has been suspended indefinitely for defying his school’s relatively new practice of not giving zeros. As reported in the Edmonton Journal: The physics teacher with 35 years experience said he continued giving zeros when students failed to hand in assignments, instead of using behaviour codes such as “not completed,” which the school requires under its grading and reporting practice. The school says it stopped using zeros a year and a half ago because it believes giving students feedback on what they have yet to do is more motivating.…
Hi Readers — Just a little note from one of you: . Dear Free-Range Kids: My two-year old daughter face-planted while running on a sidewalk yesterday late afternoon. Now she’s got a scrape on her forehead and a “Groucho Marx”-looking mustache/skinned upper lip. We checked that her teeth and nose were fine, and she stopped crying before we got home. But, I cannot tell you how many moms (of all people!?) have stopped me to ask if I took her to the emergency room. When I say no, they look at me like I’m crazy. . Look: She fell while…
Hey folks — Let’s not get into a discussion of whether any child NEEDS to be drinking a foil-pouch drink. Let’s just enjoy this ad. I did! – L.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDgjJxJp6DQ&feature=related]
Hi Readers! Here’s the latest from the front lines of parenting insanity: Our beloved nanny who worked for us for five years — Joan — recently called to say she’s on the job market again. After us, she went to another family and she’s been working with them for the past decade. They’re helping out in her job search, of course, but could we help, too? With pleasure! I put a notice on a local parenting site: “Our extremely kind, smart, warm, funny, organized nanny seeks new full-time job.” I got a call from a woman who had been tasked…