Readers ynibfyzidf — Here are some facts and ideas I drew from your comments on the story of the mom who let her kid wait in the car and, after a “Good Samaritan” videotaped the (happy, safe) child, was  criminally charged. SKL WROTE: I just did a little internet research to update my knowledge about […]
Tag Archives | abduction
An Amber Alert about Amber Alerts
Readers yintkrdedk — I haven’t signed up for Amber Alerts, so I haven’t experienced this. Have you? How common is it? I realize Amber Alerts CAN save kids, but not if they become the boy who cried wolf. (What a famous boy!) – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I am a faithful reader who grew up […]
SHOCKING! Sheriff’s Report on the “Attempted Kidnapping Caught on Tape”
Readers, you will be SHOCKED to learn that the driver of the car that was “caught on tape” practically abducting a child (or so the media told us) was actually on a nefarious mission to … buy boat parts! So says this Sheriff’s Report, send to us by Mike Smith: Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Locates Suspect […]
Parenting Tips from Law & Order SVU
Readers — This McSweeney’s tdftyfhefi post by  Beth Levine and Liz Dancho is soooo good. It’s called “Parenting Tips I Learned from Law & Order: SVU” and includes such advice as: Don’t raise your kids in New York City. They will end up running their own adult website and spending all their money on video games. […]
Parents, Kids, Love, Fear, Abductions, Depravity and (Of Course) The Onion
Readers — The Onion gets it. They always do: EVERY PARENT’S WORST NIGHTMARE IS LOSING A CHILD TO GORCHUL, THE DARK SORCERER OF TIME As a parent, worrying is second nature. You’re constantly afraid that something could go wrong. Your child could get sick, or get in an accident, or even just not fit in […]
A Horrifying String of Abductions
Folks — Just got this press release in my emails. Somehow, I don’t think this book — Just nrsehdbfkd What kind of Mother Are You, by Paula Daly — is just what kind of summer read we’re looking for:  It is every parent’s worst fear: a missing child. But what if the child you’ve lost […]
Headline News Responds About “Predator Test” Special
Hi Readers — This just in from Anna Gonzalez, a social media producer for Headline News, the channel running a special, “Would rfykdyhrzi Your Kids Pass the Predator Test?” I commented on it yesterday, saying specials like these only reinforce the idea that predators are everywhere. Anna’s note: Thanks for the blog about the segment. […]
Happy Mothers Day News: Kidnappings Like Cleveland Less Likely than Ever
Hi keenfnhrzz Readers — especially, today, moms! While you eat your burnt toast and funky eggs in bed (something, by the way, my kids never did for me), here’s news to brighten your day and life, from a Washington Post article: “Five Myths About Missing Children.” It’s by David Finkelhor, who was an extremely helpful […]
YOUR STORIES NEEDED! “Nothing Bad Happened When My Kid…”
Folks — As much as I literally feel my heart pounding every time I hear a story about crazy fear-mongering, or outrageous overreaction to a very small threat, I realize that there is more to life — and even this blog — than just shouting, “But they’re WRONG!” (Even though they are! They’re wrong! I […]
See an Unsupervised Kid? Reach Out Instead of Dialing 911
Hi bzhtfdhyah Readers! This note comes to us from Nandini Ramakrishna, who was raised Free-Range in India and now lives in Phoenix, AZ. She writes the blog Cactus Chronicles. and tweets at CactusChron. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Four years ago, I was involved in an incident where the state questioned my competence as a parent. After two […]