Hi Readers! One of the ways I spread the Free-Range Kids word is by giving talks around the country (and world — going to Australia at the end of the month). Two weeks ago I was doing this in Seattle where, for a romp at one of my speeches, I flipped through a parenting magazine, pointing out just how absurd so much of the “advice” is. For instance, in an article called “Bug Off,” all about how to “keep pesky insects from spoiling your summer,” the magazine said, “Sweat and body heat also bring on the bugs. Bathe the kids…
Author: lskenazy
Fresh from the annals of, “What If?” and, “Worst-First” thinking comes this timely tidbit: Dear Free-Range Kids: Yesterday was Palm Sunday and at my church there’s a tradition that goes all the way back to my own preschool days of the little Sunday School kids leading a processional into the church waving palm branches and singing. They had always used either artificial plastic palm fronds or real ones if someone had some to donate and seeing the little ones waving their branches was always a highlight. Well, this year I waited eagerly for my three-year-old daughter to come in with…
Hi Readers! I get so many fascinating stories from you,both hopeful and horrifying, that I can’t blog about them all. BUT — I don’t want to see them go by the wayside either. So here’s a new feature: News items of the week. If you have a better name for this new feature, I clearly need it! Of course, if you are on Twitter, you may have seen my Tweets about these pieces already. (So follow me there! Check out the widget on the upper left of this screen.) Anyway, dig in! — L *Dismaying: Feature on waivers before kids…
Hi Folks! I read this Wall Street Journal article with gratitude and a little rage. It’s called, “Stop Panicking about Bullies: Childhood is safer than every before, but today’s parents need need to worry about something.” My gratitude comes from the fact the author, Nick Gillespie, bothers to figure out if we are really in the midst of a bullying crisis. Rage because it seems we are not — and yet here we are, once again, fearing for our children as if they are in danger like never before. Same way we newly fear for our children staying home alone,…
Hi Readers? Can you guess why I so cherish this recent home page from the folks at One Step Ahead? It’s because the headline sums up EVERYTHING that is wacky about our culture, starting with the fact that no child is allowed to enjoy any activity unless it is scientifically proven to GET THEM AHEAD. (At least one step ahead.) That’s why what used to be called “playing” is now called an activity that promotes social skills and verbal skills. See? It’s developmentally beneficial! But of course, for all that good stuff to kick in, first you must BUY something.…
Hi Readers. Here’s the latest kids-in-car/mom-arrested story. I know it seems like I’ve posted a flood of these cases lately and I’ll pause for a bit after this one, but this woman is asking for support and I’d like to provide some. As you’ll see, it’s strange that somehow her 3-year-old got out of the car — that’s certainly something to look out for — but should she have been investigated by Child Protective Services? Should she have to go to court? Is she an irresponsible parent? No way. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I have found you through researching…
Hi Readers! Just got this article from a self-described “heathen daddy from Attleboro, Mass.” who summarized the story thusly: A kindergarten girl gets on wrong bus on her second day of after-school care. Instead of going to the program she gets on the bus for home, gets home, realizes she made a mistake because no one is home, knocks on the neighbor’s door in tears, neighbor takes her in, gives her a snack, calls her mom, grammy comes for the afternoon. When I grew up that was called “S*** happens, that’s why we live in a neighborhood where we watch…
Hi Folks! This guest post comes to us from the proud papa of a bouncing new baby book! Safety Products You Need NOW! by Jacob Sager Weinstein For my book How Not To Kill Your Baby — a parody of overbearing, fear-inducing pregnancy and parenting books — I made up a series of ludicrous child-safety products. My challenge was: could I come up with something more ridiculous than the stuff actually marketed to parents? I’ll let you decide how successful I was. Below are four marketing pitches. Only three of them describe genuine products you can actually buy. Can you…
Hi Readers — Just read this stunning story about an Indiana teen expelled from his high school, three months before graduation, for using the “F” word in a comment he seems to have tweeted at 2:30 a.m. In other words, a tweet he made NOT at school, and yet possibly FROM a school-issued computer. The tweet said (don’t expel me from my blog!): “BEEP is one of those BEEP words you can BEEP put anywhere in a BEEP sentence and it still BEEP makes sense.” Here’s what does NOT make sense: Why is the school censoring his tweets? While it…
Hi Readers — My very own state — New York — just passed an overprotective, unnecessary, parental-decision-damning bill. Here’s the scoop, according to the Queens Chronicle: In order to better ensure child safety, the state Senate unanimously passed a bill on Feb. 29 that would make it illegal for parents or guardians to leave children under the age of 8 alone in a motor vehicle. Multiple infractions would constitute a misdemeanor. The bill applies to any person legally charged with care of a child and states that they cannot be left alone or with anyone under the age of 12,…