If you’re a kid in Beaverton, Oregon — the actual Niketown — you may wonder why your mom never says, “Go to the library.” Maybe it’s because mom has something else to do today other than stare at you. Here is the Beaverton Library’s Rule #2: byenesbhab …[T]he adult/caregiver must supervise the child during the […]
Hi Readers! This poster comes to us from Ann Sattley, author of  the book and blog Technically, iatfhhbaan That’s Illegal. In case you can’t read the fine print, it says, “Please remember that the library, though a fun and entertaining place to be, is a busy public facility and all public places do present hazards for […]
Hi fstazezsfz Readers! Here’s a recent letter that makes me hot under the collar (but not hot enough to turn on the A.C.). — L. (who can’t figure out how to get rid of this LINE!!) Dear Free-Range Kids: Well, I did it again: I sent my 4.5-year-old inside the library to walk the 20 […]
Hi aihkbtfrnr Readers! Here’s a follow-up to You’re a Horrible Mother, Part I. Get ready to seethe — and cheer! (And by the way, I am off for a week’s vacation with my family, so the postings may be sparse for the next few days.) — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: Almost exactly a year ago […]
Hi eazttbtsks Readers — Just a little day brightener from the Free-Range Front. L. Dear Free-Range Kids — I have a parenting theory: I never do for a child what that child can do for himself. For the past few months I’ve given my three-year-old daughter my library card and stood a few feet behind […]
Another day, another New feetdykhae York Times story that you wish wasn’t true. And yet, it seems pretty solid: The sale of picture books for kids in going down, and the reasons range from the fact that they’re high priced (which makes some sense) to the idea that kids should be reading chapter books sooner […]
Hi niaeabtdrh Readers — This story makes me sad and sick but it doesn’t surprise me. The same thing is happening at playgrounds: No adults are allowed without a kid — as if every adult who LIKES or even LOVES kids must also want to MOLEST them. Good ol’ “worst first” thinking. Anyway, here’s the […]
Hi erkrdtzkfb Readers — Yesterday, under my post about “Take Our Children to the Park & Leave Them There Day,” someone named Upstate Librarian  wrote: “…why dont you call the mother of the 9 year old that was raped today in the library in New York City. I’m sure she would agree with you on […]
![Hi Readers — Yesterday, under my post about “Take Our Children to the Park & Leave Them There Day,” someone named Upstate Librarian  wrote: “…why dont you call the mother of the 9 year old that was raped today in the library in New York City. I’m sure she would agree with you on your [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=freerangekids.wordpress.com&blog=3396577&post=3234&subd=freerangekids&ref=&feed=1" />](https://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=freerangekids.wordpress.com&blog=3396577&post=3234&subd=freerangekids&ref=&feed=1 "What The “Child Molested at a Library†Incident Teaches Us")
Hi Readers — Yesterday, under my post about “Take Our Children to the Park & Leave Them There Day,” someone named Upstate Librarian  wrote: “…why dont you call the mother of the 9 year old that was raped today in the library in New York City. I’m sure she would agree with you on your […]
Hi Readers! Just got this wonderful little clip from The Big Bang Theory (which happens to be my older son’s favorite show. Yes, even Free-Rangers end up watching some TV.) It’s all about what happens when a stranger talks to a kid. Sheldon, the main character, is — as you will soon see — socially […]
