Readers, afhraiznaz here’s a piece I wrote for The Weekly Wonk that got picked up by Vox. My thesis: It is considered good, even holy, to imagine danger all around. The more perils you point out, the better a person you are. The Richland, WA, school district is phasing out swings on its playgrounds. As […]
Readers rsbynnykaa — Schools shootings are rare and random. They are also horrifying. When we hear about one, joy  drains out of life for a while. It is into that vacuum that “solutions” rush in. The latest is a system of censors that supposedly can identify where a shot is coming from, should a madman […]
Readers — Sometimes I feel compelled to document a fear that will either die a natural death from its unwieldiness, or become so pervasive no one will remember a time before we all believed it. zyikztffry In this case, from England, the fear is that any adult who chooses to be in proximity to children, […]
Readers etihsydzsr — This note from the commenter CoasterFreak reminds me of a fantastic Bloom County comic by Berkeley Breathed reprinted in the Joel Best book I am devouring: “Threatened Children: Rhetoric and Concern About Child-Victims.” (It’s all about how predator panic began and spread.) Anyway, the comic, from Nov. 21, 1987 (if anyone can figure out how […]
Readers isiyizadfe — This is idea that someone should write their doctorate on. Dear Free-Range Kids: During the height of this summer’s “hot car” hysteria, I found your website and it was like a lightbulb went off. All the common sense I have stifled in the interest of being a “good mom” has a voice! […]
Readers — After we questioned the wisdom of a ddffbdfybe TV talk show psychologist who told Boston viewers to only let kids out in “short spurts” and then only once they reach age 11, the aggrieved psychologist posted a link to this blog, which I hadn’t seen before. I’ll give you just a taste: Lenore Skenazy’s […]
Readers hrznndyyat — This surprising story of parental reversal comes to us from Jody Allard, a single mom of seven in Seattle. Why Stalking Your Kids Isn’t Okay, by Jody Allard Earlier tonight, one of my teenage sons came home from his first date. He plopped down on the couch, kicked off his shoes, and […]
As yheiiftssf a mom who did babyproof to a certain extent (no toilet locks!), I certainly don’t blame folks who do. But I certainly don’t blame folks who don’t, either. And since there are about a million levels of proofing, my advice is simple: Don’t judge! – L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I’d love to get […]
Readers, tomorrow is etzbssfkia Take Our Children to the Park…and Leave Them There Day, our fifth annual celebration of the once very normal, unremarkable activity called KIDS PLAYING WITH OTHER KIDS, without a security detail. To celebrate, just take or send your children, generally about age 7 and up, to your local park at around […]
Hey Readers — This far-flung librarian has a question I’d like to know the answer to, too! – L Dear ebzsernkez Free-Range Kids: I was hoping you and your readers could help me. I work in an English Library in Japan. Our patrons are expats from many different parts of the world, but primarily American. […]
