Let’s hope that 2021 is the year several states pass Reasonable Childhood Independence / Free-Range Parenting bills, as Utah did in 2018. Right now, it’s looking good in Idaho, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and possibly Nebraska. This year in Colorado a Democrat and a Republican co-sponsored a Reasonable Childhood Independence bill. The two women were friends and had wanted to sponsor a bill together for years –this was the first one they agreed on! It sailed through the house unanimously and was a week away from probable passage in the Senate when the pandemic shut the legislature down. We are…
Author: lskenazy
Podcasts, laws, eyeballs — Let Grow, the nonprofit that grew out of Free-Range Kids, had an amazing year on so many different fronts. We found bi-partisan support for our “Reasonable Childhood Independence Bill” in Colorado (a story to be continued), we got millions of views of our videos and posts, and I personally got to be on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, which almost everyone in America seems to listen to. (Here it is!) We didn’t even let a certain little virus get us down, as we encouraged, celebrated, and studied all the new things kids were learning just for…
A friend who was noodling around the AccuWeather site today found a blog post, “Why Have Midwestern Towns Banned a Beloved Winter Pastime?” The piece, which seems like it might just sit in a slush pile on AccuWeather’s newsdesk and await recycling every snow season, discusses a few horrible sledding injury lawsuits that drained the coffers of Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux City, Iowa. Then it adds: According to a study from The Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, more than 20,000 Americans younger than age 19 receive treatment for sledding-related injuries each year. It…
This op-ed of mine originally appeared in the NY Daily News on Dec. 19: “I’m thinking of letting my 8-year-old walk to her friend’s apartment. It’s literally one block. But I’m not sure if she’ll get stopped, or if she’s too young, or…” My neighbor’s voice trailed off as he worried about someone mistaking his parenting decision for neglect in Jackson Heights, Queens, where we live. “Gee, if only you had perhaps America’s leading proponent of childhood independence to ask,” I replied, referring to myself with, okay, a bit of bravado. He erupted in laughter. “Wow! Of course. So…is it…
Friends, a story I have been mulling and researching for a long time just appeared in Reason. It begins: “What did you love doing as a child that you’re still sort of doing today?” That’s the question I’ve posed to lots of people, including a businessman I briefly spoke with at the TED Talks in Vancouver a few years ago. I didn’t take notes, but the conversation made a strong impression on me. “Nothing,” I recall him replying. Nothing? “I played,” he conceded. “You don’t have something better than that?” I wheedled. “Well…” I remember him saying after a pause.…
Over at Let Grow we’ve got 30 — count ’em! — ideas for holiday gifts kids can make. In truth, I only got down to about #11 when I saw MICROWAVE CARAMELS. I’d thought caramels require time and patience and something else I don’t have: a candy thermometer. But this recipe is easier. So if your kids are looking for things to make (or you are looking for a microwave caramel recipe!), click here. Happy holidays and everything else! (This includes your dentist.) Photo from Unsplash by @khlebnikovayulia
Austin Educator Mike Yates had a mom who would accept nothing lower than an A when he was in school. He managed to bring these home, but perhaps not that surprisingly he went on to become an education entrepreneur, changing the way school is taught and success is measured. His piece on “When Students Get Caught in the Trap of Performance — And How to Get Them Out” will ring true for people who are raising, teaching, or remember being kids who focus on grades and trophies as a source of self-worth — their ONLY source of self-worth. The…
Great advice in today’s essay at Let Grow on whether you should push your kids should to share your passions: “I was so invested in shaping my daughter into who I wanted her to be, I nearly missed seeing the amazing person she is,” admits author Katie Benoit. Eventually Katie realized that joy comes when you “love the child you have, not the child you thought you’d have.” The ending of this essay was so good it gave me goosebumps. Click here to read it. Photo by Omar Ram on Unsplash
Jessie Thompson’s kids, ages 9, 10 and 11, would like to walk home together, but Spann Elementary School in Summerville, South Carolina, won’t let them leave without an adult. When Thompson asked if she could sign some sort of waiver, the school said no. If an adult does not pick the kids up, they must take the bus — even though it takes longer than the 20-minute walk. And especially in a time of Covid, being outside would seem to make more sense. While other elementary schools in the area allow kids to walk home, Principal Shane Sanford put his…
Why is there a Free-Range Kids movement? Why does Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence, even exist? Here’s why: “Children Walking Alone,” warned an alert I received from the social media site nextdoor just as I sat down to write this piece. “Dear Parents,” it went on. “Please have an adult accompany children ‘taking a walk’ even around the block. Although our neighborhood is one of the best for families, there is always ‘a chance’ a child may be taken— in a heartbeat. Don’t let it be your child (or children)!” So begins a Q&A with me on the…