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.
Author: lskenazy
Check them out, over at Let Grow! Click here!
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.
Friendship is as foundational as anything else in our kids’ lives. Click here to read Ruby Swift Wolens’ reflections on her friendship with Let Grow’s Peter Gray, 68 years ago.
Read the story and look at the other photos over at Let Grow. Click here!
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!
Academic superstars and struggling students can all succeed at something. It’s called life. Gary Karlson opened the door for his third graders with a simple homework assignment: Go home and do something — learn something — new, on your own. Full blog post at Let Grow, here.
Jump over to Let Grow (click here) to read my Q&A with parenting historian Jennifer Traig. Suffice to say, some practices that were popular sound a little crazy (scary, stupid, gory, appalling) today.
Freedom and responsibility. There. I’ve ruined the surprise for you. But if you go to Let Grow (by clicking here), you can read a lovely essay on why treating teens like children backfires in a big way.
Jessica Lahey, author of “The Gift of Failure,” drew up a list of calming tips for a good school year. Check them out — and add your own — here, at Let Grow!