…with me. Here’s a podcast on chipper Naptime Radio: http://bit.ly/fALUWY And here’s a quickie 4-question print interview with the pro-recess Let Children Play blog, about the upcoming reality TV show: http://bit.ly/eaDK0w Enjoy your weekend! L.
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — Just be glad you don’t live in the Persimmon Place subdivision in Edgewater, Fla. The Homeowners Association (HOA) there is considering new rules that will ban children from playing outside. I KNOW this sounds like a fantasy plot from one of the umpteen dystopian young adult novels out there, so let me quote from this report on ClickOrlando.com: The HOA board said the proposed rule, which will carry a $100 fine for every violation, is all about safety. … The proposal states that “minor children will be under the direct control of a responsible adult at all…
Hi Readers! This is a heartening, even inspiring letter! Read on! — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I love my kids and I am overprotective, still, but I agree with giving your kids lots of freedom. I was able to go play with my friends whenever I wanted as long as I can remember. In kindergarten all I had to do was let my grandparents (who were watching me) know where I was going to be and I left. Of course, grandma sometimes said “no,” but mostly in my own world of alotted back yards, I could do…
Hi Readers! Oh great — more unmitigated fear, and unintended consequences. L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: I recently received an email from my daughter’s middle school that included this gem: High school students are not allowed on C. Middle School property. They are trespassing and will be charged by the police. Please do not send your high school student on CMS property to “pick up” a younger brother or sister. They will be charged with trespassing. I am frankly horrified. This school is both a magnet school (drawing students from the entire county) and a receiving school for students who…
Hi Readers: There is so much to ponder in this amazing column from the Herald-Mail in Maryland titled, “When It Comes to Protecting Kids, We Have It All Backward.” Yes, it was inspired by the new American Academy of Pediatrics’ recent dictum that children should be kept in rear-facing car seats until age 2. Personally, I don’t get how that even works. Do we cut off their legs? (This would also prevent them from running in the street. Win/win!) But the columnist, Tim Rowland, takes the idea a step farther with these thoughts: Today, being a child is like being…
Hi Readers: Here’s a nice reminder that Free-Rangers come in all shapes, sizes, ages and descriptions. — L Dear Free-Range Kids: I have a 14-year-old daughter with high functioning autism. This weekend, she had a little get-together at a arcade-type facility for her birthday. It is pretty large but very safe: games, rides, laser tag, etc. She was waiting in line with her 25-year-old friend with Down Syndrome for a carousel ride. I work very hard to make my daughter as independent as possible. My mother (her grandmother) was with us at the party, but she needed to leave.…
Hi Readers — One of you sent this in. We are living in scary times,indeed! From our local police blotter: Petty theft from unlocked vehicle on Coventry Road. A resident reported juveniles wandering the street on Ocean View Avenue. In a lucky find, the owner of a stolen vehicle from Coventry Road found it in Emeryville, and drove it home to Kensington. Sigh.
Hi Readers! You’ll like this! L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Just wanted to thank you. On Saturday I misplaced my 6-year-old son for half an hour, long enough that we had the museum staff and state park ranger looking with us — long enough for most people to completely panic themselves and everyone around them. But I reminded myself that he loves being independent and was likely not freaked out, and most importantly, I remembered the point you make over and over: People are kind and caring. I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t help a misplaced child, including people…
Hi Readers! Here’s a brilliant note from a gal named Ann: Dear Free-Range Kids. Here’s a Liberty Mutual ad with the tag line “Do the right thing.” The situation is a mom picking up her two kids from soccer. They’re late and need to get to the airport. But another kid is still sitting on the bench waiting for his dad. It’s almost dusk and the kid is probably 10-12. Should the mom leave him ALONE at the field? Or should she forgo getting to the airport to make sure that the kid isn’t unattended. Guess what the “right thing”…
Hi Readers! Get a load of this — little kids in Australia have been found guilty of violating graffiti laws with their chalk drawings on a sidewalk outside a cafe. This might not be such a Free-Range issue except for this: Mayor Ben Stennett visited the cafe yesterday as anger mounted. Almost 200 people have signed a petition to support the drawings, which [cafe owner] Ms White is happy to erase each day. “The mayor said they would like to issue us a permit but can’t because it raises health and safety issues, in case somebody fell over a child…