Hi Readers — I’m working on a project that may (or, alas, may not) involve me interacting with real world moms and dads and kids, giving some Free-Range tips and having fun (and drinking their coffee and eating their cookies). And guess what? The try-out phase is FRIDAY! Yes indeed, this Friday afternoon. So if you’d like me to come over for an hour or so to chat with you about what you’d like your kid to maybe start doing on his/her own, whether that’s cutting a sandwich, making a playdate, sitting in the playpen while you take a shower,…
Author: lskenazy
Hey Readers! Here’s an inspiring post by Jacqueline Edelberg, former Fulbright scholar and now author of How to Walk to School: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance, foreword by Arne Duncan and afterword by Rahm Emanuel (with whom I went to elementary school!). Her story on turning around a school has been featured on NPR, CNN, 60 Minutes — a lot of media. But I hadn’t heard of it till now, and I’m so glad she dropped a note! In my New York neighborhood, something similar did indeed transpire: A miserable school became an enviable one, with parents who’d shunned…
Hi Readers — You may enjoy this essay from The Telegraph by Tom Hodgkinson, author of The Idle Parent. His points basically boil down to: Stay home on the weekends. Let your kids bring you breakfast in bed (they’ll want to do this because they are bored and it’s something fun to do). Don’t spend money on fancy kiddie entertainment (including everything from children’s carnivals to electronics), make your kids entertain themselves. But when you want to be involved, remember: There are lots of tickle games you can play while sitting on the couch. The piece even includes an Idle…
Hi Readers! Just back from the dead, after a grilling incident left me with second degree burns on my right hand FINGER TIPS! Bad news for a blogger (and YEOW!!!!!). So I went to the E.R. and got some very powerful pain drugs. So powerful that they left me lying on the floor all day yesterday, lifting my head only to vomit. Now, happily, my fingers are fine (tap, tap, tap) and I have vowed never to take a Vicodin again. And now, on to less personal gripes. Check out this essay, “Helicopter Moms, Heading for a Crash,” from Sunday’sWashington…
Hey Readers — As we head into a weekend celebrating life and liberty (at least on this side of the pond), let’s celebrate the liberty that has come to Edwin McFarlane, the young man charged with abducting the lost 3-year-old he was trying to help. The State Attorney’s Office announced it won’t prosecute. Here’s our original post on the topic. And here’s the happy ending — complete with mentor overload for the young man, who now has a whole bunch of adults hoping to help steer him to a successful life. We hope the same thing for him! Happy weekend…
Hi Readers — Here’s a really valuable column because it addresses something that had been nibbling — and biting and punching — its way into parental concern: Bullying. No one likes bullies or bullying. But why is it suddenly so high on a radar? Why are we talking about it all the time? Is it a question of finally getting the attention it deserves? Or is it getting TOO much attention, the way so many other childhood events are getting too much attention, like the falls toddlers inevitably take? (Now addressed by a number of “safety” devices.) Or the “problem”…
Hi Readers — Here’s a letter I got today. Let’s give her some good advice. Since I get to go first, I ‘ll say the obvious: If you can afford it, send your kids to some kind of not-too-programmed camp. Other suggestions? Hey Free-Range Kids: I truly, profoundly want my older daughter to be more Free-Range. She wants more freedom. Advice on how I get there is welcome. My 13 and 11 year old girls are on summer vacation, my spouse and I both work. The oldest is in open rebellion because, despite my claims that I want…
Hi Readers — A few years ago, when my sister and I were contemplating assisted living for our mom (who has Alzheimer’s), I visited a place that was really pretty and cheerful and had a lot going for it, including a cool program whereby patients each had a box with some artifacts from their old life in it: A former secretary might have a typewriter. A former engineer might have some blueprints. The folks could take them out and “use” them, which seemed pretty ideal. But — of course there’s a but — I happened to arrive at snack time,…
Hi Readers! This little note just got me thinking. Read it and I’ll give you my thoughts. It’s from a guy named Barry Jacobs in Brooklyn and here’s his blog. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I hate the media. Watch shows aimed at kids on Nickelodeon or Disney– they show kids with amazing imaginations, doing things with unbelievable freedom, having exciting adventures and almost always being smarter than the adults. When parents are shown, they are usually genial characters with vague, but obeyed, authority. Compare that to the network news aimed at adults: Kids are stupid and need to be…
Hi Readers — Here’s a note I liked, with a caveat. I actually don’t think it is all that dumb for the media to remind parents about basic safety, as they do in the story below: “Don’t mow the lawn with kids nearby.” This is a fine thing to point out from time time, just like, “Don’t let your kids play in the pool without adult supervision,” “Don’t speed through yellow lights,” and, “Keep your space heater away from the drapes,” etc., etc. What I object to is the way these otherwise possibly helpful tidbits are played out on TV:…