Archive | Bad Laws, Rules and Verdicts

Picture of recalled Boys Outerwear Jacket

Saved from a Fate Worse Than Buttons!

Hi Folks! This jacket was recalled because it is coated in e-coli, contains a colony of venomous spiders in the left pocket, and was woven from the fur of rabid jackals. Oh, wait…no. It says here on the Consumer ntkzzkznst Product Safety Commission’s website that it was recalled because its elastic waistband has “a toggle that […]

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Victory! 5th Graders Allowed to Enjoy Unsupervised Afternoons Again!

Victory! 5th Graders Allowed to Enjoy Unsupervised Afternoons Again!

Hey Readers!! Here’s sarsadbeke great news! The school in Davidson, N.C., that had suddenly prohibited fifth graders from leaving the school on Fridays to walk down to the village green has reversed itself! On Friday, even as a big bunch of kids and some parents marched to “Occupy the Green,” the new principal (not the […]

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Ugh! Now 5th Graders "Can" Go Play  -- Once a Month, If Chaperoned

Ugh! Now 5th Graders “Can” Go Play — Once a Month, If Chaperoned

Hi Readers! In a rdeihryszb post earlier this week we were discussing a great tradition: Fifth graders in Davidson, N.C., who leave school on Friday afternoons and proceed to the town green for an an afternoon of just being kids. This was abruptly declared “unsafe” and ended. Here’s why, according to Davidsonnews.net: Ms. Nivens [the […]

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Daycare Workers Must Check Baby's Sleep Position EVERY 15 MINUTES!

Daycare Workers Must Check Baby’s Sleep Position EVERY 15 MINUTES!

Hi rrhskiysen Readers: In our quest to make childrearing ever more worry-and-labor intensive, I submit the newest wrinkle. – L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: My children go to a wonderful daycare center that is part of a franchise.  While the center is owned by a local couple, they are part of a greater organization and […]

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More Outrage! 5th Graders Can No Longer Play Outside “Alone”

Hi adadfhkyfe Readers! The other day my brother-in-law asked me if I ever got really “down” about our culture. I told him that usually I don’t — I get so mad about ridiculous rules and outlandish fears that I just blog in a blind fury and feel better. But this story, sent by the folks at […]

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Outrage of the Day: Coffee Banned from Mother's Group for "Safety"

Outrage of the Day: Coffee Banned from Mother’s Group for “Safety”

Hi Readers! Here’s one rfkbyhhdeb to get your blood (and water) boiling, direct from The Mirror, in England. – L. Mums have been told they cannot have a cup of coffee while looking after their toddlers at a children’s centre – because it’s against health and safety rules. Council officers told the group to change its name from […]

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Voters in the School? That’s Not Safe!

Hi hezfhrbdtn Folks! Love this column, which ran in The Post-Star in Glens Falls, NY. I think you’ll see why. – L. Reading, Writing and Looming Fears by Ken Tingley The Warrensburg Central School District is saving its children from the clutches of voters. Swear to God. Its board of education voted unanimously against a county proposal […]

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Keep Overprotective Parenting from Becoming the LAW!

Keep Overprotective Parenting from Becoming the LAW!

Hi nhrzyrabfk Readers! I am thrilled to present to you a post by David Pimentel, a professor of law and author of a scholarly article on how to keep overprotective parenting from becoming the law. As he writes in his abstract: …the powerful influence of media has sensationalized the risks to children, skewing popular perceptions of […]

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A 4-Page Playdate Waiver? Is This the New Normal?

Hi tkbaberzyd Readers — This mom wrote to me wondering if what she just experienced is normal. I’m wondering, too! — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I have a situation perhaps your readers can help with.  Yesterday my daughter came home from playing at the “new” neighbor’s house with a 4-page liability waiver that they want us […]

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Why Johnny Can’t Run

Hi trfzdenyea Folks! This is my piece that ran in last week’s Wall Street Journal. Have a good week (and some “vigorous activity”). – L. The Importance of Child’s Play by Lenore Skenazy A new study of how preschoolers spend their days may make you want to run around screaming, which is apparently more than […]

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