Hi Readers — Sometimes, when people say, “Why should I let my kid walk to school/the library/the store? There’s almost no upside and the downside is just too dangerous!” all we can do is say, “No it’s not” — an argument that doesn’t get us very far. Next time, after viewing this great story about a 3-year-old who saved her dad’s life by being competent and confident in the world, let’s try this one: “Kids are CAPABLE of walking to places very young. Younger than you’d believe! And when they KNOW their neighborhood, they are actually SAFER. And sometimes, so…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! This nice note just in: Dear Free-Range Kids: I couldn’t be happier! Tonight my 7-year-old daughter got lost in our neighborhood while riding her bike. She had two out-of-town cousins with her, and they wandered about one block further than she recognized (we’re new to the neighborhood). And then she did a very smart thing–she asked for help. She found a couple sitting on their porch and asked them to help her find her way home. She knew her address and phone number, so they called us to let us know she was on her way back. I…
Hi Readers! This morning I was telling my husband that I’ve been hearing about parents who are afraid to put their kids on the school bus lately, and he asked, “Why is that?” and I was stumped. I actually DON’T know why this new fear has cropped up, and I’m not even sure it’s widespread. What I’d like to know, then, is if you have heard of parents fearing the school bus and what it is they’re worried about. Bullies? Traffic accidents? I’ve always heard school buses were a very safe way to travel. So that’s my question for…
Hi Readers — These made me smile! Dear Free-Range Kids: Today I sent my 12 year old son and 10 year old daughter on the light rail train from our suburb to downtown, so they could meet their daddy and go to a baseball game. The boy was confident, the girl was wary, but they both hopped on that train. They had directions, phone numbers and a phone, no changing trains necessary, and they got there just fine. I was nervous but confident! My son was like, “You can go, Mom!” at the platform, lol. — Laura Dear Free-Range Kids:…
Hi Readers — Okay, so the kids in this Sesame Street video look a little languid and catalog-ready. And of course there is the inherent tension between a song encouraging kids to go outdoors and the fact that it is on TV, and if it’s REALLY good, kids will want to just sit there and watch some more, sunny day be damned. DESPITE all that — and the sad fact that I find Elmo cloying — this is still a video with a lovely message. And great birdies in a tree. And it’s to one of my very favorite songs…
Hi Readers! Here’s a note from a soon-to-be mom with a request for ideas (and a tiny dig at me, but what the hey). The boy she and her husband are adopting is three. Congrats to her and her expanding family! — L. Dear Free-range Kids: I like the idea of Free-Range Kids (although I’m not totally comfortable with some of Lenore’s extremes), and I would like some advice: My husband and I will soon be adopting a young boy. After years of miscarriages and failed adoption plans, I’m terrified to let this boy, who hasn’t even come to live…
Hi Readers — Here’s a letter I just got: Dear Free-Range Kids: I’m generally in agreement with Lenore’s views. It’s ridiculous to try to protect our children from EVERYTHING out there. The article about not having a baby on board sign because it could decapitate the baby… fear-mongering at it’s worst! Gave me a good lol. My mom and I talk fairly often about this blog. And there is one argument that she brings up that I don’t know how to combat. When I was 14 or 15 a girl down the block was kidnapped. She’s not been found…
Hi Readers! Here’s a lovely little rant about raising brave kids by the “Nanny McPhee” (and, oh, Shakespeare) actress, Emma Thompson. It’s from an interview she did with BabyCenter. The whole interview is here. The rant is HERE: On why ‘bravery’ is her favorite lesson Nanny McPhee teaches the children: I think it’s good to be brave because then you’re also slightly more able to cope with failure and failure of course is your best friend in every regard really. Children are brave and they’re more likely to take risks and they’re more likely to learn really important lessons. That’s…
Hi Readers — As the school year gears up and we are talking about how great it is when kids walk to school, here’s a “real world” note I just got from one guy. Sigh: My children’s school has no school buses, and at our first PTA meeting one parent was being praised for setting up a private school bus, paid for by the parents. I mentioned that since everyone is close enough to walk, that’s what we should be focusing on, getting more children to walk, but everyone comes up with the “what if?” arguments. To which I replied,…
Hi Readers — In response to the story somewhere below, about “Annie’s Mailbox” spreading the belief that a family decal on a car could delight, incite and invite predators, another reader sent in this wonderful study about wallets. Yes, wallets. Researchers in England “dropped” 240 wallets outside, to see which ones would be returned. Forty of the wallets contained a baby picture, 40 had a family photo, 40 had a picture of an elderly couple and another 40 had a puppy pic. Then there were 40 with a receipt from a recent charity contribution (but no photo). And the final…