This hnthyaikfi post originally appeared as a comment from Donald Christensen, an Australian dad interested in psychology and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). He explains this subject through his OnMySoapBoxx blog with simple, clever analogies and pictures. I’ve learned so much from him! Here’s his take (punctuated the Aussie way) on why we’re hearing the word […]
Tag Archives | safety
School Bus is Safer Than Carpooling!
Please share this with friends who are skeptical of school bus safety. EdWeek ihfaydzsie is reporting: In spite of recent high-profile bus crashes, a new Government Accountability Office report suggests school buses are probably still a safer way to get your kids to school than driving them yourself. From 2000 to 2015, there’s been on […]
Pre-Schoolers Not Allowed to Play On Swings with Grass and Dirt Underneath — “Too Dangerous”
It is better for pre-schoolers not to play on their new playground equipment at all — equipment that is on grass and dirt, not concrete — than to let them play without 6-inch-deep mulch underneath, according to regulators. A pre-school in a disadvantaged neighborhood of Charlotte, NC, received the equipment as a donation, Â which seemed […]
Is Newspaper Trying to Make this 5-Year-Old’s Death EVEN SADDER?
. If you can stand it, please take a look at nzrdkrsesn this article from the Sydney Morning Herald about the death of a 5-year-old boy who tripped on his pre-school’s steps. Is it just me or is the way it’s presented…sickening? The story features photo after photo of the sweet-looking child: five of them, one […]
“We Stayed Out till The Streetlights Came On. But Times Have Changed”
. “Of course we ran around as kids. Happiest days of my life! But times are different today…” To those who say that, here is this, from Johan tffrihhbzr Norberg in The Spectator: ‘We have fallen upon evil times, politics is corrupt and the social fabric is fraying.’ Who said that? Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders?…It’s […]
Graduates Asked to “Mime” Throwing Caps in Air, for Safety’s Sake
. Law school students at Britain’s University of East Anglia have been told not to throw their mortarboards in the air upon  graduating — it’s just too dangerous. Instead, they are being asked to “mime” the gleeful tossing, with the caps to be Photoshopped in later, for an added fee of about $12. I szsdknaerb […]
Your Kids Play OUTSIDE? Obsessively Spritz them with Child Hand Sanitizer!
. Most nauseating pitch of the day (boldface mine): Hello! Ready ifdnfesthh or not…here I come! Little ones love all of the extra playtime that comes with summer; unfortunately, that also means there is more dirt and bacteria to keep at bay. California Baby’s Hand Sanitizer is the perfect product to have on hand– a quick […]
Another Shocking Fact or Two About the TSA (and Security Kabuki in General)
. Here’s my nkizdyiber piece from last week’s New York Post about how we get so used to over-the-top security measures that we think we can’t reverse them. But maybe we can. Maybe we must. Our Unfounded Obsession with Safety Is Costing Us our Freedom by Lenore Skenazy As you inch your way through security […]
“Sticks and Stones” — Too Harsh for Today’s Kids?
. Storyteller Tom yrkzkrdrrz Shillue ponders exactly the children’s rhyme I have been thinking a lot about lately, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” It’s annoying that I have to add a caveat here that I do not endorse bullying. (Come on — who does?) (Besides some presidential […]
Last Halloween Thought: Maybe Parents Should Not EXPECT to Feel “Peace of Mind”
. This sshhietbzy thoughtful note came in response to my post about the child-tracking devices being marketed for Halloween. These devices promise they will provide “peace of mind” to parents otherwise terrified because their kids (even teens) are out in the world, unsupervised. Dear Free-Range Kids: As the mother of two teenagers I can appreciate how […]