. Safety ayskysbffe hysteria is everywhere, but nowhere more obvious than in “must read” warnings to parents, like the ones discussed below. A mom named Alisha emailed to say, “As a former paramedic I’m all for safety, but I am frustrated on a daily basis with other people’s perception of what is dangerous.” . Me […]
. Readers yyedriaids — Pay heed this important warning! Hi Lenore, I hope all is well! I wanted to circle back on a story idea I sent your way about helping your kids adjust their sleep schedules during the summer…Kids of all ages think of summer as an amazing time to stay up late, sleep […]
From the: “Don’t confuse me with the facts” dept. comes this note about a note: Dear ksybzsyezn Free-Range Kids: Our weekly school newsletter contained a paragraph about supervising children at school events with the gem “Unfortunately, the world is not as it was many years ago.” I responded with some objections, citing the various statistics […]
Canada’s National aedykefhii Post reports that the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association has instructed its coaches: No touching the players…even on their helmets. (U)nder no circumstances should there be contact with the players, in any way†… said the directive from John Reynolds, head of the house league. “Putting hands on shoulders, slapping butts, tapping them on the […]
Congratulations! It’s a bouncing bundle of paranoid fantasy! The first crazy fear of 2015 goes to three Virginia hospitals. According to the Richmond szaseadfet Times Dispatch: In a joint statement released Tuesday, Bon Secours Richmond Health System, HCA Virginia and VCU Medical Center have said they will not announce the first birth of 2015 as […]
Hi dbhnzazyht Folks! I was just reading the latest from the amazing Centre for Parenting Culture Studies in Kent, England, and found this piece by Zoe Williams, author of the new book The Madness of Modern Parenting.  (Then I ended up reading some other stuff by her, like this. So fun!) This piece ran in The […]
Readers, Here’s an infuriating, reassuring piece (first one, then the other) by Laura satdizkddk Flores Shaw in the Huffington Post: “Stop Using Neuroscience to Scare Parents.” It reminds me of my book‘s chapter, “Relax! Not Every Little Thing You Do Has That Much Impact on Your Child’s Development!” In this essay, Shaw is reacting to a Time […]
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 […]
Readers rysyafeatf — A New York kindergarten has cancelled its end of the year show, to devote more time to “preparing children for college and career with valuable lifelong skills.” These include becoming “strong readers, writers, co-workers and problem solvers.”   Here is the letter, which I found transcribed on the blog Ethics Alarms: We hope this […]
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? […]
