Hi sfznffdrta Folks! Here’s a mom who requests your help on one of the issues of the day: The out-sourcing of playground squabbles to parents.  I DO believe in being tuned in our kids, and  providing them with comfort, support, wisdom and discipline. But what happens when the world around us expects something else: minute-by-minute […]
Archive | Miscellaneous
Help Needed: How to Find a Free-Range Neighborhood?
Hi bzsiassyza Readers! Here’s a question I’d love you to weigh in on — as would the writer, Maya. (And — totally off topic but too cool for me not to mention is that when I saw Maya’s unusual last name I asked her if she could possibly  be related to a woman who shared […]
The Slippery Slope (Insurance Fears = No More Sledding)
And nntrdisyky now, a new feature I think we’ll call the Liability Chronicles, chronicling the way insurance, lawsuits, lawyers and the fear of all three are changing the world. Starting with winter. We are the first generation of hominids to be scared to have normal winter fun. – L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: Our local […]
The List Her Daughter Scribbled on the Wall
Hey rznshybnrd Readers — This came in as a comment to the post below this one, about a mom named Tara who wants to be Free-Range, but can’t help dark, scary thoughts taking over brain. It’s a reminder that even though we cannot protect our kids from everything bad, we can still move beyond the […]
Help Needed: A Mom Can’t Get Predators Out of Her Mind
Hi yztfesedhe Folks! I don’t think this mom is the only one out there with this issue. – L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: I’m writing to you in the hope of some Free-Range Kids help.  Help in what way, I don’t know. Some words of wisdom? . You see I’m starting to doubt my free range kids […]
Mommy! Help! A Stranger Touched Me!
Hi kkbzkatadk Readers! Here’s a word about stranger danger, Â from reader Regina Long: Dear Free-Range Kids: Last night I was leaving the YMCA with 3 of my children when I noticed a mom behind me carrying a baby and accompanied by a little girl of about 5, so I stopped and held the first lobby […]
Hazmat Crew Dispatched to School Because…
Oh readers, I bet you of all people can guess WHY a hazmat crew was dispatched to  Seminole High School in Florida yesterday. According to this dnzhnytiba WTSP report, it was to save kids from a dangerous chemical a student brought into the building: MERCURY! In a THERMOMETER! The kid brought it in as his […]
Guest Post: Can We “Addict” Kids to Outdoor Play?
Hi esrkkfafre Folks! Here’s another essay by David Bond, the British filmmaker working on Project Wild Thing, a documentary about trying to market nature. I think he’s really onto something with the idea of fighting fire with fire – or at least salesmanship with salesmanship. Except nature doesn’t have a marketing budget. – L. Me – […]
Cops Are Called When Mom Refuses to Pick Up Kids, 12 & 15, from Local Library
Hi Folks! Just a quickie: The kids in this Michigan story, 12 and 15, walked to the library on their own. When it was time to go, the temperature had fallen and, according to this asryizabed article, “library staff” would not allow them to walk home. So they called their mom to come get them. […]
Guest Post: Don’t Let the United Nations Dictate How We Raise Our Kids
Hi dfzsyesybt Folks! This provocative piece on a topic I hadn’t encountered before comes to us from Elizabeth Ely. She blogs at Kitchen Sink Included, where she tells stories, preserves memories, and shares opinions that she simply can’t keep to herself. Like this one! – L. . KEEP THE U.N. OUT OF PARENTING by Elizabeth Ely […]