Hi Free-Rangers — Speaking of our growing terror of anyone with a Y chromosome, read this: My husband, who taught kindergarten Sunday School, is no longer allowed to help out with the preschoolers. At all. Why? A child fell down and hurt herself, and while comforting her he gave her a kiss. On the forehead. And apparently another parent saw this and assumed he was some sort of sicko. A month earlier he had a child in his class pass out napkins before snack and she went home and told her parents that she was the special helper in Mr.…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers — I got this note yesterday and so many points resonated for me, I thought I’d share it. I think the writer makes a great point about hindsight — that just because, when looking back, we can see how most ills could have been prevented doesn’t mean that if we only plan hard enough, we can avoid every single possible bad outcome. When we think we CAN avoid any and all problems, we end up believing that when something does go wrong, SOMEONE is to blame. This is paralyzing for parents, and rotten for communities, too. So, before…
I hate hand sanitizers, but are kids really DRINKING them? Or setting them ON FIRE?? Or are we just coming up with more bizarre worries? (Yes, I know. Another rhetorical question. Did I mention we just MOVED? Hard to blog and unpack! ) — Lenore
Hi Readers — On the bus going across town today my husband and I sat behind a girl of about 13. No one sat next to her, even though a couple of folks were standing. This reminded me of my long-ago trip to Turkey. When I was there in the 1980s, at least, men were not allowed to take an empty seat next to a woman. I don’t know if this was law or custom, but the thinking seemed to be that men are too rude, easily excited or perverse to sit next to women. In other words:…
Hi Readers — You’ve probably seen this story, closely mirroring the one in England where the two moms sharing a job TRIED to share babysitting duty, too — and found out this was against the law. Here in the States, a Michigan mom takes in the kids of three friends each morning before the bus comes. Suddenly, the mom — Lisa Snyder — was informed this is illegal, as she is not a licensed day care operator. Amazingly, she did not go to jail. The case got the attention of no less than the governor, who immediately instructed the child…
Hi Readers! Remember the post from the other day, “Mom & Kid Bike to School, State Trooper Awaits”? Here it is. A Saratoga, N.Y. mom and her son rode their bikes to school only to be chastised by a trooper who informed them that this is verboten. But now, check out this article from the Times Union: Things are looking up! Okay, not perfectly up. The school district that had strictly FORBIDDEN kids to ride their bikes or walk to school is now considering letting kids MAYBE bike to school with a guardian. That still seems somewhat obsessive. But…
Hi Readers! Worrying that American students are falling behind their international counterparts, President Obama is floating the idea of longer school days and shorter vacations. This is about as uncreative a solution as a man all about “change” could possibly have come up with. “Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,” the president has said. “Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family, and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.” Really? Who’s to say American kids are lagging because they aren’t…
Hi Readers! This coming Weds., Oct. 6 is Walk to School Day. I know, I know — it’s sad we have to actually PLAN what should be an everyday occurence. What next, Brush Your Teeth Day? Put The Toilet Seat Down Day? (Though come to think of it…) But anyway, here’s the official link to the Day, sponsored by Safe Routes to School, and here are their tips on gearing up: Plan a Walk to School event in 7 days Walk to School Day events draw attention to the benefits of walking and any changes needed to make it safer…
Hi Readers — This is not spot-on a Free-Range issue, as far as I can tell, but it sure struck a nerve with me and, it seems, a lot of Canada. A woman and her 20-month-old daughter were riding a bus in Vancouver. The kid kept crying, “No! No! No!” and when the mom couldn’t calm her down, the bus driver ordered them to get out. The mom protested. She had three bags, a screaming kid and no stroller! Tough, said the driver. And that was that. Mom and kid were on the curb. The mom wrote a note…
Howdy, Readers. This just in: Hi all! Thought you might get a laugh out of the latest rule that’s been enacted at the daycare where my children go. Whenever a child has medicine they need to take during the day, a parent has to fill out an authorization form that lists the medicine, amount needed, and the time the child is supposed to take it. That makes sense, making it easier for the daycare staff to keep straight who gets what when. But yesterday, one of the teachers in the infant room told me that from now on I’ll have…