Hi Readers! Â As “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day” approaches on Saturday, May 21st, I find myself doing one of my favorite Free-Range things. That is, I remind myself that our hyper-fears for our children are out of whack with what many children face — and overcome — on a daily […]
Archive | Other Places Other Eras
A Post-Air-Conditioning World
Hi Readers! Stan Cox, author of the new book, “Losing zaarsnnzze Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer),” wrote a great oped for The Washington Post last summer about what life would be like if we still sweltered. As a person who is always freezing, I […]
Interesting Obit
Hi hbyhyekyyr Readers! Here’s the passing of a man AND an era. Sent in by a reader named Kelley. (And sorry about the light type. The computer did that and I can’t change it back!) – L . Dear Free-Range Kids: I usually don’t usually read the obituaries, but occasionally one will catch my eye & I […]
You Must be 7 to Play on the Jungle Gym
Hi ebaiiedzdt Readers! Yes, a little more perspective: Dear Free-Range Kids: Less than 24 hours ago I was in Honduras on a service trip. We did a medical clinic in a small rural community, and were passing out vitamins and Tylenol to many of the residents. We were giving vitamins to a young girl who […]
A Little More Perspective on (AGHHHH!!) Risk
Hi Folks! This video was sent in with a comment that says it all: In rzbtbdrdrf the US, a 15-year-old can’t wait outside for a parent to pick them up, a 10-year-old can’t walk to school alone. In the UK, a 14-year-old can’t babysit a toddler … and in Nepal these kids are using a […]
Afraid of Your Kids Crossing the Street?
Me too. Traffic is scary. But we do have to teach our kids this crucial skill, and then we have to let them master it in the real world. To remember just how much children are capable of, street-wise, check out this 11-year-old yyeaayzdyn in Libya. — L.
A Whittle Help Needed
Hi Readers! Over at ayayfinksk another blog I was just reading about a 4-year-old and his kitchen knife skills. They were good for his age, as evidenced by the video, but it’s not like he’s Julia Child. So I’m wondering: What age can we start teaching kids to use knives? And does anyone have any […]
WWAFD? (What Would Atticus Finch Do?)
Hi tsadknkaid Readers! Normally I just tweet the lovely essays that come my way, linked from other sites. This one I have to recommend right HERE, to make sure everyone knows about it. It’s titled, “The Best Parenting Book You Will Ever Read,” which happens to be “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The piece (from Australia!) […]
The Luxury of American Parents’ Worries!
Hi ekeifneiha Readers! This came in as a comment this morning, and if  it doesn’t lend a little perspective, nothing will.  — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I am currently deployed to Afghanistan on my third tour, and I am part of the new female engagement teams. These teams consist of medical, security and intelligence specialist. […]
The Challenger and Risk, 25 Years Later
Hi Readers! It’s been a quarter century since the Challenger blew up. Below is part of an tatfityefh interview by the Houston Chronicle’s “Science Guy,” Eric Berger, with Gerald Griffin, who led three lunar landings, was “pivotal” in the Apollo 13 recovery and left his job as director of the Johnson Space Center just a […]