Readers — Here the latest from Annie’s Mailbox, which is apparently chock full of psychotics. If you ever wonder why Americans are so obsessed with fear, dread and predators, here’s a little hint: Dear Annie: Last weekend, I stayed at an upscale motel where they serve breakfast in the lobby. After eating, I went to the elevator, and a little boy, perhaps 6 years old, left the table where his father was eating and announced, “I’m going up to Mom.” Dad agreed, and the boy rode up to the third floor with me, chatting the whole time, before getting off…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — This is just one piercing piece, from the newspaper The Age, in Australia. And while I was down there, the wonderful writer of this wonderful op-ed was kind enough to take me on a walking tour of Melbourne, which turns out to be covered with incredible graffiti! BEAUTIFUL graffiti that blew me away — and I come from the LAND of graffiti: NYC! Anyway, I’ve taken the liberty of bolding my favorite line. (Okay – lines.) Enjoy! — L. CLOISTERED KIDS MAKE TERRIBLE ADULTS, by JULIE RUDNER If my parents had raised me the same way now…
In case you were wondering whatever happened in that school district outside of Philly where 2,300 students were issued laptops that the administration then used to spy on the students in their homes, here’s the denouement, as reported on the Law & Disorder website: The school district accused of spying on students at home via laptop webcam has agreed to settle two student lawsuits for a total of $610,000. The Lower Merion School District board of directors released a statement Tuesday morning, saying that it decided to settle in order to move on and “protect the interests of our taxpayers,”…
Hi Readers! Ah well — it doesn’t always work out as planned. Read on: Dear Free Range Kids: One of my friends is a stay at home mom and went to a play group where your book was discussed. One of the moms in the group decided to let her 8-year-old son spread his wings by having him walk a few blocks home from a friend’s house. It’s a nice, safe neighborhood, and the little boy was making the walk in the middle of the day. Well the mom went outside on the porch to wait for her son…
Hi Readers! This guest post is from a recent college grad, Alisa Gilbert, who writes the blog bachelors degree and can be reached at alisagilbert599@gmail.com. CONFESSIONS OF A FREE-RANGE KID, by ALISA GILBERT Roaming through the blogosphere the other day, I came across this blog and immediately felt both admiration and disbelief. Admiration, because I know several parents who raise their kids in fear, micromanaging every moment of their lives, and I admire the other parents who don’t. But I was also a bit shocked, because when I was a little girl not too long ago (I recently graduated from…
Hi Readers — Even before my morning coffee, I have to throw this one up (as it were): A “dinner lady” — which we here in the States call a “lunch lady” — gave a boy an extra “biscuit” (i.e., cookie). And for THAT she was accused of possibly “grooming” him for later lascivious activities. According to The Belfast Telegraph: Her ordeal began in January 2008 when she was working as unit catering supervisor at St Mary’s PS in Brookeborough, Co Fermanagh. A pupil at the school, who was also a relative, asked for a biscuit and Mrs Lavery told…
Another day, another New York Times story that you wish wasn’t true. And yet, it seems pretty solid: The sale of picture books for kids in going down, and the reasons range from the fact that they’re high priced (which makes some sense) to the idea that kids should be reading chapter books sooner rather than later (which makes no sense at all). The article, by Julie Bosman, quotes authors, book stores and publishers, all of whom concur: the picture book is fading. While kids still read Seuss, they’re off to Steinbeck sooner rather than later, in part because their…
Hi Folks! This Tues. and Weds. I’m heading to Columbia University here in New York City where they’re hosting Play On — a conference where we’re all supposed to bring our sneakers. That’s because in addition to hearing speakers talk about the importance of play, we’ll also be learning some “street” games and remembering why running around is so important! Remembering with our aching, middle-aged muscles! And guess what? Free-Range Kids readers get a special offer on the tickets — half price! Here’s the official release about the event. Maybe I’ll see you there! (Don’t throw the dodgeball at me!)…
Hi Readers! I just got back to the United States and the first thing I saw at the airport was, naturally, People Magazine. This week’s cover story, “Deadly Bullying,” was prompted by the horrible case of Tyler Clementi. Tyler’s college roommate streamed live video of his sexual encounter with a man, leading Tyler to commit suicide. I have no problem linking this horrible invasion of privacy — this absolute betrayal of human decency — to Tyler’s death. I do have a problem with calling it “bullying.” Why? Because this was beyond bullying. It was a hate crime. By calling it…
Hi Readers — Here’s the latest. A quickie! Dear Free-Range Kids: I belong to a fancy-dancy gym that has great childcare — kids play organized games, play on the playground and do real activities…no TVs or computers. There are clipboards for the different age groups where you sign your child in and out. Today when I walked in, the table that previously held these clipboards was gone. After looking around I found the clipboards sitting in clear plastic wall pockets mounted at about eye level, with pens in the pockets. Another mom and I gave the coordinator a puzzled look…