Kids need to climb trees, jump off things, and ride their bikes fast. That’s what the Canadian Paediatric Society is recommending in a white paper published on Thursday: “Healthy Childhood Development Through Outdoor Risky Play.” If that sounds positively radical — and also common sensical — you’re right. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the […]
Archive | Miscellaneous
How the Media Makes Us Scared for Our Kids
Here’s a little excerpt from the interview Katie Kimball, host of the Healthy Parenting Handbook Podcast, did with me. The full podcast is here. Katie Kimball: No matter what the parents do individually with the decisions we’re making, there is a toxic culture that could be holding us back. We talk a lot with food […]
Of Cars and Kids and Playing Outside
Kids running around and playing outside till the streetlights came on. That was Charles Brewer’s childhood — and dream. To make it happen in modern-day America, he developed Glenwood Park in Atlanta, a neighborhood that hewed to the tenets of “New Urbanism.” That mean it had, “town houses, offices, retail, walkable streets, a nice town […]
How to Worry Less About Very Unlikely Dangers: Some Tips!
Did you know that January is Mental Wellness Awareness Month! Woo hoo! How can you celebrate? Get mentally well! That can be a challenge, especially in an era that can seem hellbent on creating new things to worry about. So here’s something that may help. Let Grow President Lenore Skenazy sat down with Tampa talk […]
Was This an Attempted Kidnapping? Or Not?
Folks — I can’t tell if I’m overly trusting or if the world is the opposite, so please weigh in: The story is that a man, 64, shopping with his wife at a Florida Walmart, grabbed a 4-year-old’s wrist and attempted to kidnap him. Here’s the video: The man supposedly told the child, “Let’s go.” […]
The 10 Worst Free-Range Parenting Stories of 2023 — And One That Will Give You Great Hope!
Roll your eyes, shake your head, scream “That stinks!” and go to bed. Or, if you prefer, read on: NON-EXISTENT DANGER IN AISLE 3 A University of Michigan survey of parents of children age 9-11 found that half will not let their kids go to another aisle at the store to get a few items. […]
A Mom Reads Her Kids the Children’s Book She Loved…And They Go “Meh”
This seasonal post comes from Kobi Nelson, a high school teacher in Denver with a Ph.D. in Education. Kobi enjoys life with her husband, two kids, and cat named Bear. Uncertainty and Growth in “The Story of Holly and Ivy” The first time I encountered The Story of Holly and Ivy was when my Great-Aunt gave me the book […]
A Child Anxiety Therapist Recommends Parents Push One Particular Thing
And you probably guessed what that thing is: INDEPENDENCE! Kids need more of it! It’s an anxiety buster! Regine Galanti, PhD is a clinical psychologist and founder of Long Island Behavioral Psychology, a private practice in Nassau County. She’s also the author of many books on anxiety, most recently, Parenting Anxious Kids: Understanding Child Anxiety […]
Don’t Tell Kids That Someone Could Grab Them
A childcare worker in Texas dropped a line with a story — and a request: Dear Let Grow: You helped me a few years ago when the state wanted me to get rid of my rope swing, which the kids in my childcare program love. I also run an after-school care program at my local […]
Want Students to Succeed Almost Every Possible Way? Start a Play Club
Michael Hynes is superintendent of the Port Washington, Long Island School District, just outside New York City. He’s also a Fulbright Specialist, TEDx speaker, author of “Staying Grounded: 12 Principles to Transform School Leader Effectiveness” — and a big part of the documentary “Chasing Childhood.” Please Note: Hynes graduated in the bottom 10% of his […]