Hi rnybistrat Readers – I’m thinking of starting a new feature, Free-Range Kids Outrage of the Month (Or Maybe Even Week). Like that idea? Let me know. And send outrages! Meantime, here is Outrage #1, sent by a reader in suburban Texas. This is a note from the local public grammar school about a holiday […]
Why Is Congress “Protecting” Children from Books?
June 3, 2009
Hi, rfsidhiaki Free-Rangers: Here’s a really thought-provoking (okay, outrage-provoking) guest blog from Rick Woldenberg, a businessman in Illinois who believes in safety, but not in spending millions to protect our our children from nearly non-existent dangers. Read on! By Rick Woldenberg Readers of Free-Range Kids may not be surprised to learn that Congress has enacted […]
Traveling with (Virtual) Mom
May 29, 2009
Summer beckons, with its eternal promise of freedom. Unless you are Harry Wilder. Harry is a 19-year-old British student who plans to travel across Australia, Thailand and South Africa this season…with a GPS tracking device called the “Traakit†in his pocket. The Traakit will let his mom pinpoint his location to within 15 feet and […]
Kids are the New ’50s Housewives (Stuck at Home “For Their Own Good”)
May 26, 2009
In the 1940s, women were working in factories, doing all the jobs men did — and earning their own keep. After the war, they were suddenly told: What on earth are you doing here? The outside world is too dangerous for you, you sweet, silly creatures! We’re only saying this for your own good. You […]
Why One Mom Lets Her Son Walk to the Bus Stop Now
May 26, 2009
Hi ffksfzkzbr Folks! Here’s a short, sweet post by Seattle reporter Denise Gonzalez-Walker, who did something radical: She met her neighbors. It changed the way she’s raising her son: By Denise Gonzalez-Walker  I recently finished a temporary job that gave me new perspective on the Free-Range philosophy. Working as a U.S. Census canvasser, I went […]
“Free-Range Kids” Book Talk
May 23, 2009
The other night I gave a book talk — second in my life — at the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope, Brooklyn. If you’d like to hear some of the highlights, here you go. Two little videos of me doing my Free-Range thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEKlZO6xXWg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ivK-VwShHE Meantime, a very happy three-day weekend to all! — Lenore
The Crime of “CSI”
May 22, 2009
It’s nice when science takes the time to confirm one’s own sneaking (or even not so sneaking) suspicions. In this case: That TV crime shows are driving us crazy with fear. In a report titled, “CSI: zhiizsfehy Mayo Clinic,†Mayo psychiatrist Timothy Lineberry and his team studied two sets of data: One, a list of […]
Feisty Mom Comes Out Swinging — A Lovely Read
May 20, 2009
When my daughters turn eight, they’ll get their first Swiss Army knives, and not the tiny ones with a nail file and some scissors, but real ones, big enough to gut a fish with.
A Girl Knocks on a Stranger’s Door
May 18, 2009
Have you heard of Common Cents? It’s a non-profit organization based in my burg, New York City, that encourages school children to “harvest†the pennies in their neighborhoods—that is, the pennies most of us have sitting in a jar that just keeps getting heavier and heavier. Cool idea, right? The kids put notes under the […]
Yes, more media!
May 16, 2009
Quick alert (before everyone goes, “Enough already!”): As mentioned right below here, I’ll be on Nightline tonight talking about dumb baby safety products (that is, dumb safety products, not safety products for dumb babies). But — news flash! I’ll be talking about them again on Good Morning America the next day. (Saturday.) That’s it. Have […]