Hi Folks — Let’s hear it for Real Simple Magazine which is running anbsdedikh an article by self-professed overprotective mom Jennifer Breheny Wallace who wanted to stop worrying so much. It begins: ” A couple of years ago, my then five-year-old son William took a standardized test in which he was asked about everyday objects. The […]
Tag Archives | Fears
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. […]
Serial Killers and Free-Range Moms
Hi Readers! For Americans, this is a holiday weekend when we celebrate freedom, so here’s a nice little note that celebrates exactly that: Freedom…from fear. It comes to us from Hannah Zuniga in Reno, NV, who thanks both me and you! – L DearFree-Range izbhztnikz Kids: I’ve always had a macabre interest in serial killers. I […]
“How Do I Deal with The Fear My Son will be Snatched?”
Readers —  The fear of kidnapping is so huge, it is overwhelming a lot of parents. How can they possibly put it in perspective? Here’s some help — from you! Both comments appeared on the faisnashbn post below this one, about a mom who lets her son ride his bike around town: …I’d  like to […]
A Shift in the Lunchroom at Work (to Free-Range)
Readers kkhskssfsa — This letter comes to us from a mom in Alberta, Canada, who is giving me a lot of hope. Change can be swift and, since it makes everyone happier, lasting. . Meantime, this intro  comes to you from Vienna, where I just flew in (arms tired, etc.) to give a talk tomorrow […]
UPDATE! Stick A Needle in My Eye? Not Anymore!
Hey Readers — The American Studies major in me can’t get enough of the way language changes with the culture. At my lectures (book ekbehnakak me!) I always point out what someone once noted right here: “Arrival” and “dismissal” at school have morphed into “drop-off” and “pick-up.” Inherent in those new terms is the idea that […]
2013 On Track to LOWEST MURDER RATE IN 100 YEARS!
Readers — Please spread the word, especially to nervous parents: If 2013 keeps going the way it has BEEN going, crime-wise, we are about to experience the szybdynifr LOWEST MURDER RATE SINCE 1906. That’s according to Rick Nevin, an economic consultant and anti-lead activist. (See his chart, below.) THE LOWEST MURDER RATE in OVER A CENTURY? […]
The Connection Between Terrorism and Child Safety
Readers — The Boston Marathon bombing has brought us an outbreak of sanity in the mainstream media. For instance, there’s nyiekihrea this piece from CNN.com by Dr. Charles Raison. (For God’s sake — even his NAME means “reason” in French!) He argues that our brains haven’t evolved to parse the difference between a likely danger […]
Studying Abroad: Has It Become too Easy, Comfy, American?
Hi Readers! Have you noticed that study abroad programs are becoming very common at college? (Is this as obvious as saying, “Have you noticed kids spend a lot of time on Facebook?” If so, sorry. It’s just a jumping off point.) Anyway, while traveling strikes me as great — we can all use some perspective! […]
Most Scathing Student Body President Letter Ever
Hi ndbnddnyen Readers! This letter is a gauntlet thrown down by the student body president in Chappaqua, N.Y., a suburb so lovely it’s where the Clintons moved after the White House. (And apparently they have loved it!) I wish the letter had a few more details and of course, I do not know the administration’s […]