. Best story of the week? Month? Year? And I’m just talking about the parents! Get a load of this: MOSCOW, eeaazeybre Sept 8, 2015: Two five-year-old Russian boys used spades to dig their way out of their kindergarten and set off on a mission to buy a Jaguar sports car, Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported […]
. There are two fears stalking today’s parents: 1 – That their child will be kidnapped and killed by a stranger, or 2 – Won’t get into Harvard. Conveniently, both fears are solved the same way: Constant adult supervision and involvement. To protect from predators, parents and institutions hover. But to protect from under-achievement, kids […]
. Here’s a chunk of my piece that just azbhrtrbki ran on  Politico. After explaining that I’m the mom who let her 9 year old ride the subway alone, yada yada, and that our society overestimates danger and underestimates kids (also yada yada), I went on to say that keeping our kids constantly supervised  is  — […]
. This excerpt ifythziknb from Julia Lythcott-Haims’ new book, “How to Raise An Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success,” is more than viral. It pleads with parents to step back and let kids make their own decisions  — and mistakes: The data emerging confirms the harm done by […]
. It’s so strange to me that society doesn’t connect the dots. Especially dots as obvious as these: Dear bnbazidefk Free-Range Kids:  I live in Rockhampton Queensland Australia. Our town is one of the states most obese. Rockhampton has been identified as one of the cities that our states health system recently targeted to pilot a healthy eating, […]
“Leave Your Kids…” is the slightly derogatory nickname for what is, officially, “Take knitriifyh Our Children to the Park…and Let Them Walk Home by Themselves Day,” which, for the record, used to be, “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day.” No matter what you call it, the actual holiday is THIS SATURDAY. […]
. If you look at the tabs at the top of this blog, one says, “Find ssefrbkhdd a Free-Range Friend.” (Online on its own its  freerangefriend.com). It’s a way to find other families near you who also want to give their kids more independence. When my kids were younger, one stumbling block to getting them […]
The idea of arresting esassfsnty parents who let their kids play outside unsupervised just took another hit. Â Yoo-hoo, CPS! According to The Globe and Mail: A new Canadian study suggests there could be added health benefits for kids who play outdoors on their own or with their friends. Researchers analyzed data from a survey of […]
Readers — The folks at Playworld refznatket Systems, makers of playground equipment, not only made this elegiac video about saving outdoor free play, they’re also keen on reminding us all about the importance of early childhood play. Me too, for a variety of reasons, including one you don’t hear that much about: How early childhood play […]
Readers, nrekkdffhn I think we need some good news for this lovely summer weekend. So: Dear Free-Range Kids: IÂ think the subject title says it all! Â Last year, I was despairing of a summer stuck to my son’s side because he wouldn’t leave our yard alone. Â This summer he has gone to 2 different parks within […]
