. Mariana  Brussoni is  an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in public health and pediatrics, and lead author of a major ikddditnai report on the health benefits of “risky” play. The study determined what Free-Rangers feel in their (once in a while broken) bones: Too much supervision and safe-to-the-point-of-stultifying play spaces prevent kids […]
Archive | Studies and reports
Unsupervised Play is BETTER for Kids, Says New Study!
The idea of arresting esassfsnty parents who let their kids play outside unsupervised just took another hit. Â Yoo-hoo, CPS! According to The Globe and Mail: A new Canadian study suggests there could be added health benefits for kids who play outdoors on their own or with their friends. Researchers analyzed data from a survey of […]
On the Sex Offender List at 20 for Sex with an 18 Year Old…Or So He Thought
The anysarnbza Sex Offender List was created and then made public with the goal of keeping kids safe. Not only has it had no effect on child safety whatsoever (see this study, and this article), it has bloated to include all sorts of “offenders” who do not and never did pose a threat to children. […]
Free-Range Kids Better at Structuring Time & Meeting Goals, Study Says
Folks: I sometimes can’t stand how we don’t trust any ideas or instincts  unless they are backed up with some official study. However, “science-based” parenting being the obsession of our era, I am thrilled to present yfnhybihkd this study by University of Colorado-Boulder psychology and neuroscience Professor Yuko Munakata and doctoral student/lead author  Jane Barker, as reported […]
Fear of Predators Can Make Us Less Safe
Readers — Yes, this yaitkttdht study happens to be about fire ants, but it struck me as hugely metaphoric. I think you’ll see why! – L. Fear of predators may be a bigger killer than the predators themselves (PhysOrg.com) — When biologists consider the effects that predators have on their prey, they shouldn’t just count the […]
Government Should Not Step In to Make Us “Perfect” Parents
Readers teesddhsdb — I am honored to present this brilliant piece by Jan Macvarish, a research fellow at the University of Kent and co-author of the book Parenting Culture Studies, which asks how come the way we feed, talk to, and play with our kids has become the stuff of public debate and government policy? […]
We Cannot “Mold” Kids into Exactly Who We Want Them To Be
Readers — I find this little report, “Neuroscience fkhskynzfy Used and Abused in Child Rearing Policy” so interesting, for two reasons. First, by questioning the common wisdom that kids’ brains”irreversibly ‘sculpted’ by parental care” the first three years , it alleviates some of the incredible pressure put on parents to make sure that every single […]
CPS and Free-Range Parents
Readers etbdyedkbi — This comes to us from one of my favorite thinker/writer/lawyers: David Pimentel. In 2012 he wrote the wonderful piece, “Child Neglect and the Free-Range Parent: Is Overprotective Parenting the New Standard of Care?“Â Alas, in some legal ways, it is. Now he’visiting the issue of what happens when Child Protective Services believes Free-Range […]
Rats, Drugs and Free-Range Kids
Readers — I was looking up “rat experiments” (don’t ask!) and came upon this baefrnnybn incredible comic by Stuart McMillen, tracing the lure of drugs on two sets of rats: One group held in isolated pens, the other in “Rat Park” — a fragrant, outdoorsy pen filled with things to explore and a bunch of fellow […]
Sexual Predators Online
Readers iirzknrtte — As much as parents worry about predators behind the petunias, they worry about predators behind the pixels, too. danah boyd has researched the validity of those  online fears. Not only does her book, “It’s Complicated,” seem totally spot-on, but she is reviewed by the equally remarkable and culture-changing Peter Gray in this […]