Hi Readers! As I read through the comments about the $9 snowball maker invented by a dad to make sure his sons’ snowballs weren’t too hard-packed, I saw that some folks thought I was a killjoy for scorning it. So I wrote back to explain that what I really object to is anyone trying to convince parents that an age-old activity is suddenly TOO DANGEROUS. And that, for some reason, THIS GENERATION is more vulnerable to injury/disappointment/disaster than any previous generation, and hence needs to be more protected. And I also object to the fact that someone is making money…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! In one English town, outdoor fireworks have been deemed too “dangerous” (and chilly) for kids to enjoy. So now the fireworks are inside, reports the Small World News Service: Instead of wrapping up warm to enjoy the bangs of fireworks around 100 youngsters will sit inside watching images on a projector screen. The virtual fireworks are accompanied by sounds of explosions, including ‘bangs’, ‘whistles’ and ‘crackles’ recorded from outdoor displays. Childrens groups have accused the event’s organisers of subscribing to “cotton wool culture” and killing off an important British tradition. But organisers hailed their indoor bonfire night as…
Let’s hear it for this investment! Because kid-formed snowballs are too hard to make. To deal with. To live amongst. And tiny hands get cold making snowballs. And tiny gloves get soggy. And tiny brains think that this is suddenly a big problem. And bigger brains think, “Parents will buy ANYTHING, if we can worry them enough. Woo hoo!” Coming next (I predict): the freezer-to-yard snowman.
Hi Readers — I know not all of you follow Twitter, so I’m pasting some recent tweets (Tweets?) here for your perusal. Wonder which ones you’ll comment on! L. Swing sets removed from some W. Va. schools after kid jumps off, breaks arm, gets $20,000. Stop the insanity! http://bit.ly/d36m4y Strong essay: “Confessions of a Childhood Bully” — a woman who tormented her baby sis as a kid, just…because: http://aol.it/bSmYYZ Yowza. SLEEPOVERS are the latest parental obsession. Parents TERRIFIED. http://bit.ly/9XZQGb Warning! EVERYTHING can kill you! Especially onion dip! And escalators! (My piece, in Readers Digest): http://bit.ly/c2jbLn “Judge not.” Moving, realistic piece…
Hi Readers! Meg Rosker is a writer, wife and mom of three in Redington Shores, FL. She blogs at withoutablueprint. To keep recess alive and well at your school (or bring it back from the dead), check out the resources at saverecess.com, Kaboom and Playworks! — L RECESS IS NOT A WASTE OF TIME by Meg Rosker “When my children come to school I want their bottoms in chairs, learning. When they come home, I’ll let them play.” These words were spoken to me at a recent school meeting by a woman who is a parent AND a public…
Hi Readers! I’ve been behind in my emails and just found this cool idea. Comes from a gal named Catherine. Let’s do it! Dear Free-Range Kids: How about a post-Halloween column where you challenge your readers to scan their local news and post ANY violent incidents that happened at Halloween? I just scanned my local news and there was nothing (not surprisingly). It would be interesting to see if your readers can find even ONE. As a journalist, if I was working for one of the big stations or papers that’s the story I’d be running today: “Stats show no…
Hi Readers! Probably by now most of you have heard of this bizarre case: A 4-year-old girl and a boy her same age were racing their bikes on the sidewalk, training wheels and all, when they ran into an elderly woman using a walker. The woman fell, broke her hip and died three weeks later. Tragic. Now her estate is suing, among others, the 4 year olds. When the girl’s lawyer (just writing that is weird) protested that the girl was too young to be held liable, the judge said if she were YOUNGER than 4, he’d agree. But as…
Hi Readers! As you may recall, I was recently in Australia, where I was sort of surprised to hear how much their culture mirrors ours in terms of fear. The Aussies seem to be a bit less frantic — props to them — but there were still enough, “What about predators?” to make me feel at home. (And, for the record, also enough Payless Shoe Stores and McDonald’s.) And now here’s this interesting note from down under about Halloween on the local soap opera: Dear Free-Range Kid: Here’s how nonsense goes viral. After having avoided the Australian soap ‘Neighbours’ for…
Hi Readers — Read it and creep: This kfzeyatits fantastic article from The American Spectator is about how Manchester, New Hampshire, imposed a law, on the books for decades, making Halloween officially the Sunday afternoon BEFORE Oct. 31. The law was, of course, in reaction to all the usual Halloween fears — razors, poison, torture — that over the years were discredited. And yet the restriction lived on. Why was that such a crime? As author Andrew Cline so perfectly puts it: Halloween is more than a massive candy-grab. Prompting kids try on grown-up personas and slip into the darkness…
Hi Readers! Here’s a letter that’ll make you smile! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: Today, thanks in part to you, I am going to have a copy of my house key made for my son. My son is in second grade. He and his sister go to different schools and I thought it would be easy to do the carpool circuit, but logistics have made it a royal pain for him to sit in the car for an hour every afternoon, so he asked if he could start riding the bus. Wonderful idea, right? Friday morning I send him to…