Hi kkskasdeiz Folks! So many people I talk to (especially for my upcoming show) are convinced that children area being kidnapped all the time, everywhere, that they cannot let their children go outside on their own. Here’s a succinct look at why parents feel this way, as presented in a comment by the reader whose […]
Tag Archives | paranoia
The FBI Says: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid for Your Kids
Hi Readers: Firsts off, thanks to all of you who sent nhhheibsak this in: The very first app the FBI is releasing to the public. It’s the “Child ID App,” allowing you to store your kid’s photo, height and weight in one easy-to-retrieve place, and to forward this info instantaneously to the authorities. It was […]
Quit Trying to be So Safe!
Hi ntyaznaike Readers! This was a comment on the post two below this one, and I was nodding along so much, I decided to give it its own post. It’s by a woman named Nanci, who describes herself as “a Midwest mom of two.” — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: …. Â I really think the bottom […]
Lovely. This Is How Folks Think Today
Hi dtssaeszrt Readers — Sent by one of you, from a Facebook exchange: KM: Today I toured a “preschool” that makes the kids (4/5 year olds) nap for 2 hours everyday. Lights out, kids laying on cots in the dark for two hours! WTF! AND it cost $140/week. MGK: Um, kids should never be left […]
You Know You’re Making an Impact When…
Hi tfzdastsnr Readers! You know you’re making an impact when marketers start to try to make a buck off you, as did this one. A friend who runs a parenting magazine got this public relations pitch: Dear _______: There has been a lot of discussion about “free range parenting” — letting your kids wander to […]
Man Enters School, Uses John, Leaves: “We Decided NOT to Put School in Lockdown.” Gee: Why Not?
Oh Readers —  I can’t take it. Look at this crazy “news” trbfzyazni story from the Cortez Journal in Colorado: An unidentified man entered a high school. He used the bathroom, left and asked some students to give him a ride, which they did. Said the paper:  No weapons were visible on the man, who […]
Needed: Your Encounters with “What If?” Thinking
Hi Readers — One of the biggest frustrations in Free-Ranging is dealing with other people’s “What If?” fears. Why? Because they can never be answered! If a parent starts worrying about, “What if X, Y or Z happens while my child is doing…” rzfniraery anything, there is no way to say, “Don’t worry, it won’t.” Because, […]
Why Would You EVER Put Your Child’s Photo on Facebook for the CREEPS to See?!?
That’s what scared folks ask all the time, believing that predators have a lot more patience than the rest of us and are willing to look through ALL those family photos, just to glimpse your adorable child and plan a trip across several state lines to kidnap him/her. Next time you hear all that, remind […]
Thinking The Worst First
Hi dyiankazys Readers — Let’s take a vow: Let us vow to see men and women as decent until proven otherwise. Let’s vow to interpret their deeds as non-malicious, until proven otherwise. And let us vow not to assume the worst first. Here’s why: Dear Free-Range Kids: Â You’re always talking about how its a real […]
Do Those “Family Stickers” on Cars Lure Creeps?
Hi Readers — Here’s a iatstfabin piece I wrote for ParentDish about “Annie’s Mailbox” (which seems to be filled with nuts). The question — or really statement by an Annie reader was — “Don’t put those little decals on your car that say your family members’ names or you will be followed by predators.”  To […]