Hi akreidaiki Readers! Here’s a lovely story from reader Deborah Halliday Mills. Remember it when you find yourself between a rock, a hard place, a child and a stranger! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: I have always prided myself on being a common sense parent. I don’t follow “experts,â€or the latest trends or pop culture. I […]
Hi afkfykebfb Readers! I don’t even know many ADULTS this entrepreneurial!  Enjoy this  story sent in by Misty Olen, who posted it on her blog, Free Your Kids. Dear Free-Range Kids: Three years ago I started reading this blog. At that point, I was like many parents. I was afraid to let my kids play outside […]
Hi zyhkhsdizs Readers! Here’s a note I got from one of you right before “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day,” last Saturday, May 21: Dear Free-Range Kids: We’re doing it as a communal group, with about 9 kids thus far from my various friends. We’re even letting them ride their bikes […]
Hi zrkfesyabi Readers!  Here’s a note from a doctor, Par Donahue. He’s author of the book and blog, Messengers in Denim, all about the things we can learn from teens (and life). Here’s one lesson he got from kids that he did not like. (Nor I.) — L Dear Free-Range Kids: I am a retired pediatrician who […]
Hi hhfdrzthdz Readers: An interesting note. Do we celebrate community or automatically distrust it? — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: It has occurred to me that Mr. Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang  is the ultimate Free-Range parent, openly supporting his children’s truancy, letting them run amok around town, coming up with imaginative adventures, etc. A few […]
Hi aihkbtfrnr Readers! Here’s a follow-up to You’re a Horrible Mother, Part I. Get ready to seethe — and cheer! (And by the way, I am off for a week’s vacation with my family, so the postings may be sparse for the next few days.) — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Almost exactly a year ago […]
Hi rafytiyrsy Readers! This is a heartening, even inspiring letter! Read on! — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I love my kids and I am overprotective, still, but I agree with giving your kids lots of freedom. I was able to go play with my friends whenever I wanted as long as I can remember. In […]
Hi kddanzhdyn Readers: Here’s a nice reminder that Free-Rangers come in all shapes, sizes, ages and descriptions. — L Dear Free-Range Kids:Â I have a 14-year-old daughter with high functioning autism. This weekend, she had a little get-together at a arcade-type facility for her birthday. It is pretty large but very safe: games, rides, laser tag, […]
Hi beyifrrynb Readers! You’ll like this! L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Just wanted to thank you. On Saturday I misplaced my 6-year-old son for half an hour, long enough that we had the museum staff and state park ranger looking with us–long enough for most people to completely panic themselves and everyone around them. But I […]
Hi dtyiaeferk Readers — Gosh, there have been so many interesting letters lately! Here’s one that has me so proud for the writer. It is so difficult to break old habits, and harder still when those are based on FEAR. But as she discovered: When we deal with the real world, instead of the dreadful […]
