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? […]
Readers — zdarnkidft Here’s a sit-up-and-go-yikes oped by Thomas Friedman of the The New York Times. Friedman sort of specializes in these, but this one talks in particular about how we are facing a “401k future.” That is: Unlike the salad days of long-term jobs and pensions, we’re in a new era of morphing and […]
Hi dbhzbshrsf Readers! Yes, this is one of my “pet” topics — Â the way “I care!” can morph into “No one else cares as much as I do,” which can curdle into “I’m the only one who cares enough!” Â (See, for instance, “Did Being a Helicopter Parent Doom My Marriage (and Kids.”) But I also […]
Readers hkbizsezty — This is one of the most reflective, honest things I’ve ever read about parenting and marriage. It comes to us from Kristina Beth, in Utah. – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: This is my first time saying anything on this website, but I’ve often heard about this blog from my coworker. In the […]
Hi Readers! A couple of you sent in this provocative piece,  “Three fshdfeaddf Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids…And How to Correct Them.” It’s  by Tim Elmore,  a writer/speaker specializing in leadership. His philosophy about what kids require to become confident, competent and, well, leaders dovetails remarkably with Free-Range Kids’. After warning parents that children […]
Readers rtndtnbfdy — I don’t like hopping on every new study that supposedly “proves” something about parenting, especially when I believe that parents are only one part of the many, MANY influences that shape a life. (Especially by college age!) Still,this study might interest some parents reconsidering the heap of “help” they believe their kids […]
Hi risnndndeh Folks! Here’s a big chunk of a wonderful essay by my friend and fellow journalist Christopher Moore, published in the New York weekly, Our Town. I guess when life hands you lemonade…write a column: Lemonade Stand-ing Watch by Christopher Moore At least in my Manhattan ’hood, there are a crazy number of kids […]
Hi Readers! Here’s my situation: When I speak with parents who feel they really have to watch their kids ALL the time, often it’s not just because they fear  that otherwise “something terrible” could happen. It’s also  because they fear that IF something does, THEY will be blamed. So even if parents are pretty sure their […]
Hi Readers — I went to check the forecast on weather.com zsfedysztb this morning and up popped an app, unbidden: “Mom’s Daily Planner.” How the site KNEW I’m a mom I won’t even speculate. But here are the day parts it broke the day down into: Lunchtime PM Bus Stop Evening Activity Excuse me — […]
Okay, dszykztnyi Readers. Let’s help this mom out! Dear Free-Range Kids:  Finding this blog several years ago validated my desire to back off and let my kids be kids. At that time, I was mostly associating with “helicopter parents” and feeling inadequate for not wanting to micromanage my children’s every waking moment. And yet, one helicopter […]
