Hi zfrdfkiefr Readers: This letter made my day. Might make yours, too. (After your blood stops boiling.) Dear Free-Range Kids: I am 14 years old. I go to a school in small town Kentucky that is extremely over-protective! Rubberbands are consided a weapon and if you are caught with one, you get the same punishment […]
Archive | Eek! A Male! (and Stranger Danger)
I Hate This! Student Suspended for Opening Door
Readers — As you know, Free-Range Kids is about trust, community and common sense. All of which a Virginia middle school student displayed the other day when he held open the door for someone he knew. For this, he was given a day long suspension. The reason? The school had just installed a $10,000 + […]
Where Have All The “Baby on Board” Signs Gone? (And Why?)
Hey hdidaadthk Readers — Just got this sociologically stimulating note and wanted to post it for us to chew on. So chew! Dear Free-Range Kids: The rise and fall of the “Baby on Board” signs is a fascinating case study for our topic of Free-Ranging. The signs became popular as a plea for caution from […]
“No Touch” Policy is Insane for Music Teachers
Hi Readers — I touched (ha ha — so to speak!) upon this issue in my Golden Helicopter Awards: The fact that the British Musicians Union has told its members (ha ha again) not to lay (ha ha) a finger on any child they are giving music lessons. Most cheeringly, England’s Education Secretary, Michael Grove, […]
Cutest (Perv) Comment of the Day
Hi trntbtrras Readers! As the day winds to a close, I am happy that a whole lot of people read the Wall Street Journal piece about treating all men as potential pedophiles. There were about 200 comments over there. And this is one of the cutest ones I read right here. — L Dear Free-Range Kids […]
And Speaking of Perv-o-mania:
Check this iirnsktday out. If I could figure out how to show you the picture here, I would. But I can’t, so click and enjoy! (Or whatever.) — L P.S. Ah! Thanks to my friend Floyd, HERE is the object in question!
All Men Are Pervs…Until Proven Otherwise
Hey Readers! Here’s my iiyrsbhfet piece in today’s Wall Street Journal: Eek! A Male! Treating All Men As Potential Predators Doesn’t Make Our Kids Safer You’ll recognize a lot of the stories from this very blog, so THANK YOU ALL for sending me so many interesting anecdotes and links. Together we are getting the message […]
Not Letting Scary Myths Go Un-busted
Hi dtizndsssr Readers: Here are some excerpts from a discussion going on — the kind of discussion we can all undertake, when we come face to face with the safety “advice” Â that only makes people more scared. Â The tips that begin this exchange (vastly edited down, by me) were posted on a PTA list serve […]
The “Stranger” at the Mall
Hi kydfrfdndn Readers: Just got this note. Read on! Dear Free-Range Kids: I swear, I could just cry at the stranger-danger hysteria these days. I have the good fortune to be self-employed. As such, I can work whenever and wherever I want, so today I chose to work at the mall. (I know, right?) Did a […]
THE 2010 “GOLDEN HELICOPTER PARENTING AWARDS”
FREE-RANGE nsfdhdsfkd KIDS PRESENTS THE 2010 GOLDEN HELICOPTER PARENTING AWARDS FOR GREAT MOMENTS IN OVER-PARENTING And Media Fear-mongering About Kids PRESENTED BY LENORE SKENAZY, FOUNDER OF “FREE-RANGE KIDS†(www.freerangekids.com) Free-Range Kids is the book, blog and movement dedicated to giving kids back the fun and freedom of childhood — the kind of childhood that makes […]