Hi Readers: Yes, one of two kids who streaked at his local high school football game could now be required to register as a sex offender. Same list you’d find Jaycee Dugard’s rapist on. But, hey, it’s only for 10 years! Only 10 years of not being allowed to live near a school or park. Only 10 years of being turned down for most jobs. Only 10 years of being seen by anyone checking the Sex Offender Registry as a guy who regularly goes around exposing himself to minors. These registry rules are as ridiculous and inflexible as the…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — Here’s a comment that got me thinking. Dear Free-Range Kids: My sons came home from school the other day with a letter informing parents that there would a Healthy Eating talk given to all groups. This comes less than a month after a talk on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases that was given to the older kids in the school. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not against either of these or any other similar education program. I did, however, think back to when I was at school and I could not think of…
This ad isn’t new, but I just have to say: It is repulsive. Repulsive in that it reinforces the belief that if you do so much as to turn around for a sec to get something out of the stroller, your child could be abducted. Repulsive in that, in order to sell batteries, Duracell is happy to subscribe to the notion that children are in peril every second of every day, even when they are at the park with their moms. And repulsive that BrickHouse Security is only too happy to scare the wits out of parents to peddle a…
Sometimes, things go the RIGHT way. Here’s a story about a girl who wondered why she couldn’t bike to school. When her mom told her it was because the city needed sidewalks, she got to work!
Earlier today I posted about the the Eagle Scout suspended from school because he kept his grandpa’s pen knife in his car. I’d asked if someone more technie than me could start a petition and voila! You folks came through! Sign away! In case you need it to pass along — please do! — here is the actual URL: http://bit.ly/3IFWA1 And thank you, Meg, for setting this up! — Lenore
Oh my my my. This story hits me in the pit of my stomach and I’d love someone more tech-savvy than me to start a “HELPMATTHEW.COM” site like the one the mom started for her son Zachary, who was suspended for 45 days for bringing his Cub Scout eating utensil to school. This story is almost more unbelievable: Matthew is an Eagle Scout who studied CPR at age 12 and thus saved his aunt’s life when he was 13. That felt pretty good, so he took it upon himself to always be prepared to save lives. To this end,…
Weren’t we just talking about how nice it is when administrators use their brains instead of following rules mindlessly? This just in: My dnhtreesie kid’s teacher asked for green beans and other canned goods for a day of cooking. When I sent them with my kid, she got in trouble because “cans aren’t allowed on the bus.”
Hi Readers! Remember the boy who was suspended for 45 days for bringing his Cub Scout fork/knife/spoon to school to eat his lunch with? Of course you do. Please. We were talking about it yesterday. And the day before. Anyway, here is some great, STRANGE news: After mere worldwide media exposure, including a front page story in the New York Times, the school has reversed its decision and decided NOT to send the 6-year-old to reform school. It’s almost as if they have come to believe that just because a kid brings what he considers a beloved new eating utensil…
Every parents’ fear — that their child will get lost, far from home, and come to harm — was turned on its head yesterday. I have a feeling it’s turned on tis head every day, actually, but how nice to read this story about strangers. It shouldn’t even be news: most humans care about children and want to help. But as long as we’re talking about kids, school buses and getting lost, it’s nice that a story like this gets some publicity. — Lenore
Hi Readers! Free-Rangers want their kids outside. Sometimes, though, those kids need equipment for their sports and sometimes they outgrow last year’s stuff dismayingly fast. Now comes this cool article about a mom in California who set up an on-line swap meet, kidsthatride.com, for all that equipment. You swap the stuff your kids have outgrown for the stuff other kids are just growing out of. It seems pretty local, but if the notion interests you, maybe you could start a web site in your neck of the woods, too. Either way, what a great idea, right? Let’s hear it for…