Tag Archives | community

You're never alone, with a phone.

It Used to be Lonely for Kids INSIDE. Now It’s the Reverse

. This post comes from Mollie Shaw, a friend, frequent commenter, and Free-Ranger who is a writer and marketing consultant in British Columbia. Maybe it will resonate for you the way it did for me: Dear idhenrhyeh Free-Range Kids: I can remember feeling lonely as a young child in the 1970s.  I have vivid recollections of […]

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Big Lunch, Great Idea!

Hi Folks and Merry Christmas, Hanukah and whatever else good is going on. In the spirit of reaching out, creating community and, of course, eating, here’s a great idea I just heard about: The ybkeshffff Big Lunch. Check it out: The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project. The aim is […]

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Free-Range Kid, 11, Attends a Wake…on His Own

Hi Readers: I was just very impressed by this boy’s sense of sorrow, connectedness and respect. While I don’t recommend kids defying their parents’ rules, sometimes, as they say, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Anyway, here’s kbbssbiktf what I’m talking about, from the MSNBC website: Jared Flanders faced a dilemma Wednesday evening: […]

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How to Host a School Picnic (With Almost Zero Planning)

Hi taesydknbe Readers! As you know, one of the things that I believe makes folks feel safer and more ready to Free-Range their kids is COMMUNITY. The more connected we are, the less threatening the “world out there” seems, since “out there” is now familiar, even friendly. That’s why I love the idea of block […]

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Passing the Popsicle Test

Passing the Popsicle Test

Hi Readers — How I love nebkzsittb this post by Scot Doyon, “Smart Growth = Smart Parenting,” on a blog called PlaceShakers, which bills itself as “people, news and views shaping community.” As you know, I think community is pretty much the answer to all our ills. The more we trust and depend on each other, […]

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"Today I Trusted a Complete Stranger with my Child"

“Today I Trusted a Complete Stranger with my Child”

Hi akreidaiki Readers! Here’s a lovely story from reader Deborah Halliday Mills. Remember it when you find yourself between a rock, a hard place, a child and a stranger! — L Dear Free-Range Kids: I have always prided myself on being a common sense parent.  I don’t follow “experts,”or the latest trends or pop culture.  I […]

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Nice Idea: Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

Dear fyeyyzafif Readers: One of you dreamed this up and I lost your name!. Claim it if it’s yours! Meantime, maybe everyone can enjoy — or even organize — something like this for the local kids to get to know the nabe and each other! Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt A tree with pink flowers A black […]

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I Walk By Kids, They Run Away (Because I am a “Stranger”)

Hi zrkfesyabi Readers!  Here’s a note from a doctor, Par Donahue. He’s author of the book and blog, Messengers in Denim, all about the things we can learn from teens (and life). Here’s one lesson he got from kids that he did not like. (Nor I.) — L  Dear Free-Range Kids: I am a retired pediatrician who […]

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Chitty Chitty Free-Range

Hi hhfdrzthdz Readers: An interesting note. Do we celebrate community or automatically distrust it? — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: It has occurred to me that Mr. Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang  is the ultimate Free-Range parent, openly supporting his children’s truancy, letting them run amok around town, coming up with imaginative adventures, etc. A few […]

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