Hi tkebikyksy Readers — Today’s post comes from guest contributor Anne Collier, who blogs at NetFamilyNews.org and is co-director of ConnectSafely.org, a forum for parents, kids, and everybody interested in safety on the fixed and mobile social Web. Take it away, Anne! THE SEXT TALK by Anne Collier Are we turning our kids into criminals? We just […]
Tag Archives | police
Outrage of the Week: Boy Scientist Sent for Counseling
January 17, 2010
Dear Readers: Â OMG, as I rarely say, because I am over 22. Â Here’s the latest crazy thing, according to the sadtbefeft San Diego Union Tribune: An 11-year-old boy did a science project on his own (tsk tsk!) and brought the results to show his buddies at Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School. Â Yes, a school DEVOTED […]
Outrage of the Week: Mom Who Let Kids Play Outside Threatened by Cops
December 13, 2009
Hi tbhrnsysbf Readers! Let’s give this woman some good ideas. She needs them — as do we all! Dear Free-Range Kids: My name is Shaylene Haswarey, and I want to share a story with you today. This morning, my doorbell rang, and two police officers were present. They asked me if I am the mother […]
Yay! Another Car Story — But Much Happier!
November 4, 2009
Hi Readers — When you get right down to it, a lot of Free-Range Kids ends up being a plea for more community. More helping each other, more trusting each other, even more hanging out with each other. And here is a story of just that: A brief glimpse of how nice it is when […]
Kids Aren’t In Danger Every Time They Wait in the Car!
November 1, 2009
Hi dzbkkfefkt Readers! Yes, here is another “I left my kid in the car for a sec” story. Why? Because I am astounded to find commenters even here on Free-Range Kids berating the parents who make this sane, safe choice when circumstances call for it. These parents are not leaving their children in active volcanos. […]
A Mom Worries: Am I Bad? Friends, Family Say “YES!”
October 9, 2009
Hi kaendsnffd Readers — Here’s a dilemma almost every “good” parent will face at some point. Does it take just one, normal, harried parenting decision with ZERO consequences to make others find us BAD? Sometimes it seems the parenting path is narrow indeed. Dear Lenore: I am currently reading your book, am only about halfway, […]
Kodak Moment or Kiddie Porn?
September 19, 2009
Hi Readers — Above is the question a Walmart employee in Arizona asked himself when some parents brought in a camera memory stick to be processed. Seven or eight of 144 photos showed the family’s three girls frolicking in the bath. Kodak Moment? Or kiddie porn? We know what the employee decided — and we know what […]
Mom & Son Bike to School. State Trooper Awaits!
September 15, 2009
Hi Readers! In defiance of a policy that seems to forbid biking to the local grammar and middle schools in Saratoga, New York, a mom and her middle school son did just that last Wednesday.  That is, they ignored “a phone call placed to students’ homes by school officials, asking parents not to allow students to walk or […]
What’s So Strange About This Article?
September 12, 2009
To me — everything. Here eznrnekbbe it is. It’s about a 12-year-old, new to the neighborhood on his first day of school, who missed the bus home. He and his friend started walking, apparently got lost (the reference to Fred Myer is a local grocery), and pretty soon the entire town — police, Boys & Girls Club, […]
A Prosecutor Debates the “Kids Waiting in the Car” Arrest
September 7, 2009
Hi annbisbein Readers — A few posts down we were discussing a questionable arrest for “child endangerment.” In this case, the parents had left their 9- and 6-year-olds waiting in the car while they ran into Walmart for what turned out to be half an hour. Vis a vis child safety: The windows were cracked, the […]