Hi Readers — We have all heard from parents who would LIKE to let their kids have the kind of stay-out-till-the-streetlights-come-on childhoods they themselves enjoyed. BUT, say those parents, “Times have changed. It feels so much more dangerous now!” “Feels” is the operative word. In this sshyfhihza essay by Steven Pinker, we learn that we […]
Tag Archives | safety
Help Needed: A Friendly Kid, a Scolding Neighbor
Hi syifsesrzi Readers! Can you help this mom? L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I’ve been reading your blog and readers’ comments for better than a year now. Never really thought I’d have an experience similar to the ones I read about on your blog, but yesterday it happened. My children are nearly-5 (boy) and 3.5 (girl). […]
Outrage of the Week: School Bans Soccer Balls
Hi Folks! At a school for 7- to 11-year-olds in England, says hdseythfnz the BBC, they’ve banned leather footballs (that is, soccer balls) Â at what sounds like recess and perhaps before and after school. Leather balls can be for “football club” and “specific” P.E. lessons. But otherwise, all regulation balls will be replaced by balls […]
“The Seemingly Inexorable Transfer of Authority from Parents to the State”
Hi Readers — As you know, I am a big fan of helmets. Have been since I first started this blog, as you can see right there, on the left of this post. I also make my kids wear helmets when they ski and snowboard. BUT I am also a big fan of this helmet […]
First Gripe of the Day: A “Private” Shopping Cart Seat Belt?
Hi Readers — Just had my first cuppa coffee, along with my first “Arghhhh!” (Some people have a donut, I have apoplexy.) Â Here is what inspired my gnashing and thrashing, from the One bzittiedfk Step Ahead folks: The Wrap Strap. A wide, squishy Velcro safety belt you bring along to the grocery store to strap […]
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 […]
“Leiby’s Law” Would Not Have Saved Leiby
Hi ttazasszeh Readers — This post was sent to me by Mendel Klein, a Brooklyn father and a pediatric occupational therapist who writes about the benefits of letting children fail over at, yes,  Let Your Child Fail. — L Leiby’s Law Wouldn’t have Prevented Leiby Kletzky’s Death Here we go again. While Leiby Kletzky’s parents and sisters […]
Made Me Think!
Hi ysbhkfnzzd Readers! There have been so many thoughtful comments about the post below this one — the one about the mom charged with neglect because her toddler slipped out of the house while she was napping. Here’s the one that gave me a jolt of insight. Two jolts, in fact:Â By SKL: I am […]
Oh Those Nefarious Retirees, Trying to “Help” the Church Nursery
Hi yhdyhkhizr Readers: Here’s a letter from the front lines of (excessive) child saftey, and how it is changing society.  — Lenore Dear Free-Range Kids: With your recent posts about risk adversity, I wanted to tell you about a horrendous trend that is starting to appear in churches: husbands and wives are no longer allowed […]