You can probably figure out why an astute reader sent in this column from Patrick Smith’s “Ask the Pilot” blog. It’s titled, “The Silent Anniversary,” and begins: AS NOVEMBER comes to a close, we’ve passed a remarkable milestone. It has now been fifteen years since the last serious crash involving a major U.S. air carrier. On November 12th, 2001, American Airlines flight 587, an Airbus A300 bound for Santo Domingo, went down in the Belle Harbor section of Queens moments after takeoff from JFK airport, killing 260 people (see below for details). Since that day, there has not been a…
Author: lskenazy
You’ll recall that on Saturday, the Cheung family in Valley Stream, Long Island, let their 4-year-old son stay sleeping in the car while they went into a Home Depot to get some Christmas lights. They came out about 20 minutes later to find firefighters had smashed a window to extricate the boy, as if the car had been on fire. Then, despite the fact the kid was fine, they rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance (mom went with him) and threw the dad in jail. Dad was released later that same day. He picked up his son and…
. Is all European parenting like this? Probably not. I hear of helicopter tendencies creeping in. Nor are all American children on leashes. And yet, there IS a cultural difference and this video — so simple, hence so powerful — packs a punch. It seems to be attracting another one million views each day. How I love the clear and sympathetic link it makes between media constantly hyping danger and parents reacting with understandable terror. If anyone is in touch with the guy behind these ATTN: videos — Matthew Segal — let me know. I want to connect! (And not…
Teacher Tom — “Teaching and learning from preschoolers” — is a joy to read, especially in this case, where we find him bravely confronting that modern day terror: A swing. You may recall that Richland and Spokane Washington school districts both phased out their swingsets. As a spokesman for the Richland district explained at the time: “[I]t’s just really a safety issue, swings have been determined to be the most unsafe of all the playground equipment on a playground.” But here’s how Teacher Tom dealt with the “threat.” When our school moved into its current location, it came with a…
A mom, dad and preschooler went to Home Depot in Valley Stream, Long Island, on Saturday to get some Christmas lights. The child ended up in the hospital and the dad ended up in jail. Here’s what happened. . When the family got to the store, their 4-year-old had fallen asleep. As the dad wrote in an email to me, “He looked so comfortable, snoring a little.” So rather than waking him, they cracked open the sun roof, locked the door and headed inside. . They were at the checkout 15 or 20 minutes later (the lights had been hard…
From our friends in England where the collective upper lip is not quite as stiff as it once was, comes tale of a preschooler who was barred from wearing a certain pair of cute pants because of the cartoon monsters on them. Apparently another child had found them too scary. Scarier than a school banning cartoon pants? Here’s the story — and the pants. . .
This note had my jaw dropping, which in itself is dangerous, because what it it dropped onto a hard surface and broke? Could I sue the commenter, who hails from Flemington, NJ? My second grader still has recess and breaks during the day. However, she routinely complains that they aren’t allowed to go upside down on the monkey bars and aren’t allowed to sit on the top of the climber. I always wondered why kindergarteners weren’t allowed on the playground until October or so. It turns out that it’s because the playground equipment is designed for ages 5-12 and the…
This wonderful, rousing piece by Rachel Lu at The Federalist had ME trembling. (Not shivering! Trembling.) It’s titled, “Stop Siccing the Police on Me If My Kids Don’t Wear Coats For 20 Seconds,” and begins: The envelope trembled in my hands as I slowly broke the seal. This was it. Even when you know it’s coming, you never feel fully prepared. Slowly, I unfolded the page. “Dear Parent,” it read. “Winter weather has arrived, and it’s time for a reminder about appropriate winter attire.” Emotion welled up inside me, and I could read no further. Emotion wells inside me with…
This public service announcement tells you not to abandon your toddler in the park, even if you’re having a bad day. Because…this is such a pervasive problem? . Here’s what Ellie Lee, director of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies at the University of Kent, has to say: How can any responsible public service organisation make a film like this? This film serves no possible positive purpose.It’s single most likely outcome is to provoke unnecessary alarm about the safety of any child who does not have a parent right next to them at all times. In general it will fuel…
In light of the annual warnings about “dangerous” toys, and these litigious times in general, we asked you to come up with the ultimate — a trial lawyer’s sweetest dream, the insurance industry’s wish come true: A warning label for a ball. Because when there are NO ACCIDENTS, the world is your courtroom! Contest winner will receive an autographed copy of my book, but these are all so fun. Thanks to everyone who entered, even those who did so on Twitter. And please, please watch out for spherical objects. Fun kills! *******AT LAST! A WARNING LABEL FOR A BALL******* …