Readers rbyzyzattt — This is part of a “rant” from over at BabyCenter. It struck a chord (and not just because it’s partly about piano recitals). As you may know, I am smitten with the work of Peter Gray about how playing (i.e., doing something “just” for fun) is the key to learning. I also […]
Readers, I wish I could remember which of you sent this to me. I love it. It is based feekhznfzb on a true story from 1986. Enjoy! – L
Readers — One of you sent me this ad with a nice note about how Free-Range it is. So why is my finger lodged halfway down my throat? Because it reeks of fake. Because it screams “Faaaaaaaaaaaake!” Because it IS fake. It’s fake like the movies about the ’60s that show tie dyed shirts in way […]
As yttkiynyyr usual, Â the “It’s Complicated” author danah boyd has nailed it. In this piece, she contrasts the usual image we have of an online predator (middle aged guys lurking on Club Penguin) with the reality (teens talking sex with each other, or with adults that they KNOW want sex). This reality gap means not […]
Readers hhrdnetabz — This just in. Literally, this is the whole story, by reporter Carol Robinson. Bigger point? See post below this one: “If You See Something, Say Something.” That poster should come with an asterisk: *WE DON’T LITERALLY MEAN THAT WHEN YOU SEE ANYTHING YOU SHOULD SAY SOMETHING! – L. PLEASANT GROVE, Alabama – Pleasant […]
Readers — This whole iseeebibbh “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign makes me crazy, since it completely legitimizes — nay, DEMANDS — worst-first thinking: “Oh, a brown paper bag on the subway. It’s not that someone forgot her lunch, it’s PROBABLY A NUKE! I must alert the authorities!” Likewise, when it comes to parenting, we now […]
This hanteeybbs morning I was on Irish radio to talk about Maddie McCann, the 3-year-old stolen from her hotel room in Portugal seven years ago. The point I tried to make was actually one that a reader once put so eloquently here: “Can we stop acting as though the most unlikely thing is the most […]
Readers — Sometimes a phenom needs a name before we start to recognize it, so I am hereby declaring incidents like this kkbtizirtz one (and this one, this one, and even “experiments” like this one) “Driving While Male.” In this latest story, the facts are simply that a man driving a car spoke to some kids. This […]
Voila znnhtababs a Facebook thread from Cherry Hill, NJ. Names removed to protect them from being kidnapped! Or whatever. (You just can’t be too safe!) Most upsetting to me is the idea that if a child is walking home, something is wrong and the authorities should become involved. I like how Ed, towards the end, […]
Don’t edsnnhdray turn paranoia into policy! That’s the plea of this phenomenal Globe & Mail editorial. It was written because the Toronto District School Board is considering requiring background checks for all volunteer, a move the paper calls — …a classic case of policy overreach preying on parental fear that eclipses common sense. Schools depend on volunteer […]
