Author: lskenazy

High school students aren’t babies. We believe they can think for themselves, even when confused, confounded or conflicted. Proof? Let Grow’s “Think for Yourself” college scholarship contest garnered over 9000 essays on topics like, “Did you ever learn something…from a jerk?” We chose four winners and: One got published in EdWeek! Another got published in The New York Post! Click here for more of the essay questions and what we learned from the students.

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At the Canadian National Exposition, about 400 kids a day used to get lost in the ’60s. On one remarkable day in 1958, that number soared to 1624! And now? Somewhere between 5 and 12. Read why that might be kind of sad, over at Let Grow — and tell us your getting lost story. Click here! Photo from Unsplash  by Jenna Anderson.

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Someone else’s idea of what is overprotective or under-supervised shouldn’t matter one whit, unless a parent shows blatant disregard for a child’s safety and welfare. Ninja flicks with breakfast? Pizza for seven days straight? These are idiosyncratic decisions a parent should be allowed to make. And yet, writes Vivek Sankaran at the University Michigan Law School, we pretend that it is the court, not the parent, who can divine the best interests of the child. Read his ideas over at Let Grow by clicking here. Yummy photo from  Unsplash by Alan Hardman.

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So says Audrey Monke, a camp director for many years, and author of (what else would it be titled?) Happy Campers. Parents of clingy kids as well as kids with special needs may face a more challenging task, but their end goal is the same: More independence. Join the discussion at Let Grow!

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