Hi Folks! Here’s the latest — a brilliant Chinese plot to crush America’s lead in science and technology! Oh wait. Seems it is just one Colorado school’s list of science fair rules. Thanks, reader Bree, for sending it in. The list: For safety: Project displays and posters may NOT contain any of the following: NO: Organisms (living or dead). NO: Microbial cultures/fungi/molds/bacteria/parasites. NO: Plants in Soil. NO: Chemicals. NO: Flammable Substances. So I guess if you are doing a science experiment involving the effect of dust on a desk, you’re ok. But beyond that, it gets very tricky. And,…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! Clearly, that TV town of uber-neighborliness lives on — if you let it. This mom did. Read on! Dear Lenore: I just finished your book. Before I found your it and your website, I thought my husband and I were the last sane parents standing. We bought our house while still in our 20’s. We picked a nearby small town with friendly neighborhoods and an extremely low crime rate. Less than a mile from our house is the bay and farther north is a system of rivers bayous, and creeks. We wanted to raise our future…
Hi Readers — The BBC just wrote up a little piece about Free-Range Kids. Then they invited folks from across the world to comment. Here it is, so far — with folks mostly saying freedom and independence help build strong, happy kids. The station does quote one mom saying, “free-range should only be for chickens.” I’m sure you’ll be shocked that she is an American. Have a jolly good time! — Lenore
Hi Readers! Love this note from a middle-schooler! Dear Free-Range Kids: I am a 13-year-old and I really think that kids need more freedom. I regularly ride my bike to the library and friends’ houses, but for going longer distances and using public transportation my parents would like me to have a friend with me. However we haven’t been able to find many friends whose parents are willing to let them have this freedom. Recently I wanted to take public transportation a few stops but my parents were afraid that some “concerned stranger” would call the police. Parents really…
Brazil is all a-buzz with the idea that a 7-year-old girl may be one of the samba queens in its upcoming carnival. In fact, the matter now rests in a judge’s hands. But somehow, the idea of this talented little girl dancing her sequinned heart out makes me cheer, while the idea of the “kiddie lingerie” line we were discussing here the other day does the opposite. Why? Because the kid has a talent. She has worked hard practicing the national dance and now she gets to show the world what she can do. She’s like Shirley Temple. Meanwhile, the…
Hi Readers — I just loved this comment to the “Driven Crazy by Pregnancy Perfectionists” post. And her phrase to describe the over-the-top precautions mom-to-be are advised to take — “mindless acts of pointless martyrdom” — is so wonderful, it deserves to be embroidered on a million Baby Boppies. Voila: Dear Free-Range Kids: I literally threw What to Expect When You’re Expecting across the room after I cracked it open for the first time to a random page and read, “We don’t have any evidence that coloring your hair harms the fetus, but we don’t have any evidence that it’s…
Hi Readers: As a Free-Range parent I believe in preparing kids to be independent and safe. Just as we teach them to “Stop, drop and roll!” in the unlikely event they’re ever on fire, it makes sense to teach them to yell, kick and run in the equally unlikely event some creep tries to grab them. It is also worthwhile teaching them to say “No!” to any person who tries to get them to do something uncomfortable, and then to “tell” on that person, no matter what that person made them promise. A key phrase, by the way, is to…
No, says the dad of the boy in question. Here’s the story: Boy #1, age 14, had a girlfriend who sent him a nude picture of herself. Then he and the girl broke up and he, repulsively, forwarded the photo to kids at three other schools. It seems that some of the kids who got the photo passed it along again. Let’s call one of those kids Boy #2. Along with a couple of others, Boy #2 is now facing sex offender charges. His dad believes his son should pay for his cruelty. He has taken away the son’s computer…
A five-year-old calls 911 when her daddy can’t breathe. Here’s the story, as seen on the Bonnie Hunt Show. A reminder to all of us: 1 – Teach your kids about 911. 2 – Remember what kids are capable of! They can rise to the occasion! (Let’s just hope the kid doesn’t get her own reality show and end up all weird.) — Lenore
Hi Readers! I get a lot of amazing material throughout the day and when I can’t think of anything particular to add in the way of a blog post, I just Tweet them. It finally dawned on me that maybe I should share those Tweets right here, because not everyone is a Twitter-type. So here are the latest. And of course, if you’d like to follow me on Twitter, all you have to do is go there (here’s a link) and once you’re signed up (easy! here’s that link) you can find me at FreeRangeKids. (I know. Super-creative name, right?).…