The Daily Show and Free-Range Kids!

I love it! By the way, was that psychologist part of the act or was that a genuine interview? If she was actually serious, I bet she’s pissed now, LOL.

I was wondering about the psychologist too. Was she for real? Anyway, great use of comedy to make a compelling case about something real.

LOL, I’ve just been to her site and commented. She is definitely for real.

Lol, Oh wow, this was awesome. Thank you!

Wish I could watch it! Unfortunately the link doesn’t work outside the US (I am in Sweden). Any chance you could write up a summary for those of us not currently browsing with an American IP?

Loved it! Favorite part: On a scale from Doogie to Bieber, how capable are your kids?

I so loved it but especially the message it sends. Lenore, you’ve done it! You’ve achieved critical mass! Hooray!

WT…Because I’m not viewing from the States, I can’t see the video. Boooooooo!

If you go to the link lollipop sited, Karen basically says that
1. the world isn’t safe,
2. if your kid steps outside for 2 seconds unsupervised, they will be molested,
3. that the safety techniques we grew up with aren’t good enough for our kids,
4 you need to check on all kids every hour
5. free-range parenting damages a kids’ feelings of self worth and feelings of being loved
(Yeah, because keeping them in a cage really makes a kid get confidence and feel loved.)

Lenore played a stellar straight (wo)man to the interviewer’s probing questions, and was great at going along with the gag(s) involved; she could have passed as a Daily Show regular. Well done, Leonore!

Like so many others, I had to check to see if Dr. Ruskin was an actress persona or a real person. If her appearance here was a “spoof,” she didn’t pull it off to great effect, at least in my (admittedly biased) opinion.

Lollipoplover: “Dr. Karen” is a complete idiot. lol Very narrow minded. Like many people like her, fail to see the bigger picture about children and their family.

This was awesome! Great job Lenore. Lenore has pointed out in the past that both sides of even the most egregious anti-FRK event (arrested for letting your kids stand outside maybe) are sometimes debated as if they have equal points to make. Not so much in this segment. 🙂 It was pretty clear which side is ridiculous.

I checked out Dr. Karen’s Facebook page and all I can say is bless her heart. If you ever wondered what a comma splice was or contemplated misuse of the preposition, her page would be a good place to find examples. And there you can also explore how you may have once been a helicopter parent and turned to FRK when you burnt out, or conversely you may have been a free range parent “from the getco!” Thank you, doctor.

Eric S, thank you so much for including the link. It was hilarious, Lenore did a great job, and Jordan Klepper was fantastic – I can’t believe he was able to leave Ruskin speechless. I’ve always loved the Daily Show (it got me through the Bush years with my sanity somewhat intact), and this has given me one more reason to love it.

This is awesome. So funny! The sad thing is that lots of viewers probably thought it was serious.

I tried reading Doctor Karen’s blog, but I gave up because it’s so poorly written. Each page reads like an eighth grader’s essay that has been translated from English into Portuguese, then into Korean, then back into English, by someone fluent in none of those languages. It’s cracking me up!

It’s a shame she can’t compose a coherent sentence, because we could glean so much wisdom from her. This woman is an expert on everything! Such as:

“Should a woman ask a man to marry her, if she feels he is taking too long and they are about to move in together? Should a woman divorce her husband who cheated on her, or try to work it out? Tips for how to cope with medical anxiety (e.g., many people are experiencing anxiety due to the Ebola scare). These are the topics I addressed on ‘Ask Dr. Karen’ on FOX News Boston on 10/6/14. “

My guess is that Karen Ruskin is sufficiently deluded that she thinks that she and Lenore were being equally spoofed, when it’s pretty clear that Lenore was mostly taken seriously and she was played up for a nutcase. I realize that might reflect some bias on my part, but if you pay attention to how Klepper was handling both of them and the audience reaction, Lenore’s side was being played much straighter than Ruskin’s.

Warren I really like your suggestion.
“Nationally televised debate Lenore Skenazy vs. Dr. Karen Ruskin. Each can bring two experts of their own to be on their panel.”

I don’t know if it could get on national television but there are many other and probably more effective media outlets. Lenore can you challenge her to a cyber duel? If writing is involved Dr. Karen is particularly doomed!

Lenore, “you sick [BEEEEP]”, how on earth did you manage NOT to laugh???!!!
It must have been hard though to still give him coherent answers when he’s distracting/making fun of you as much as he did!

@Pentamom: yes, that’s what I thought when I lost my internet connection for a moment halfway through: that the interviewer is making fun of Lenore during the interview, but does support her point with those interfering parents, while he leaves Ruskin alone when interviewing her, but mocks her though that dumb kid graph etc.

“eighth grader’s essay that has been translated from English into Portuguese, then into Korean, then back into English, by someone fluent in none of those languages”
Or a computer. Those translating sites result in the most hilarious spam…

The video worked for me. Perhaps aliens have abducted my entire neighborhood with me in it and placed it somewhere in the USA. O.O
Okay, NOW I’m panicking 😛

I LOVE that Lenore used “child abductor white” as the color of the van in her example of when it would be good

to talk to a stranger

these were found on 1st 2 pages of a google search “child abductor white”:

“she was approached by a man driving a white van.”

“His vehicle is described as a newer white, four-door midsize sedan…”

“when a man in a white van pulled up next to him and offered him a ride…”

“Investigators believe the girl was dropped off by a suspect in a four-door 2008-2012 white Nissan Altima…”

“The girl reported seeing a white vehicle in the alley — a van, truck or SUV that was older with some rust.”

“…a white van pulled over near her, and a man wearing a ski mask followed her on foot.”

“… approached by a stranger in a white van… ”

Some of these were suspicious — most not. The only confirmed case I saw of the 10 I read was a man driving

a BLACK Mercedes Sedan

The link posted by lollipoplover is blood boiling. I don’t know if she’ll delete it, but I commented and I hope that other will too because I included my take on FRP, but I think a variety of opinions would be useful.

In case she deletes it, my comment is:

Helicopter parenting is extremely damaging. Free-range parenting isn’t about being permissive, it’s about allowing your child to be self dependent. It’s not about giving your child carte blanche or blanket decisions like helicoptering, it is about making informed decisions based on your child’s abilities and the risks involved. I live in a small city and I don’t allow my daughter out of my sight outdoors because the risks are significant. However, if we lived in suburbia, she would be allowed to walk to her friend’s house unsupervised, just as I did at her age [8]. A few days ago, my daughter walked down the street to her friend’s house. Because of where we live, my wife watched her from the door until she got there. We also let her cook [supervised when using stove or oven]. She is self sufficient, independent, and proud of herself. This is Free Range Parenting.

My wife’s 17 year old cousin was helicopter raised, she can’t take care of herself, doesn’t know that you still have to pay for stuff when you use a credit card, failed 4 grades, and has been molested twice, raped once, and date raped 3 times. She’s terrified of the world, has never had a job, and has absolutely no self worth.

How can we expect our children to act like mature adults when they grow up if thwy never get any practice?

The link:
http://www.drkarenruskin.com/free-range-parenting-in-the-news-again-its-just-permissive/

I was comparing this to other interviews that didn’t go so well such as with Nancy DisGrace.

@Steve M-
She probably will delete your (well said) comment. Controlling people usually don’t entertain other viewpoints.

But this is now on her Facebook page:

“An Open Letter to Dr. Karen Ruskin:
Earlier today I posted the following comment on Dr. Karen Ruskin’s website, in the comment section for an article she wrote criticizing the Free Range Kids philosophy:
—–
Hi Dr. Ruskin,
I was unaware of you or your views until watching the Daily Show, as I practice in a different part of the country. I specialize in the treatment of severe anxiety disorders and OCD. I am also a self-described free-range parent. I say that not to instigate, but rather to be open and honest about the fact that I have an agenda, which is to promote a lifestyle for children that fosters self-reliance, resilience, responsibility and fun.
It’s my opinion that you send a dangerous message to parents and the community at large when you over-estimate danger, just as it is also dangerous to underestimate danger. Danger has an awful lot to do with probability, and so it is quantifiable. When you discuss danger with your patients and with the people watching you on TV, the idea of probability should be paramount.
The message that an 8 year old cannot be left alone to fend off danger is multifaceted and should consider many factors (high crime vs low crime area, surroundings, cognitive ability, congested cityscape vs. suburb vs. rural, playing alone or in groups, etc). You are not taking into consideration all of these factors when you make blanket statements about children being able to play on their own.
My children wear seatbelts and helmets and we have a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors in our home. We, as parents, have calculated the probability of danger and also the cost of taking these precautions and have estimated that for a relatively low cost we can keeps our children safe from events that are unlikely to happen. The price that you are asking people to pay for being safe from kidnapping and murder is not worth the cost, which is fostering a sense of impending doom, isolation and learned helplessness.
If this “what if” mentality were to guide our decisions we would all be helpless creatures, afraid of the world. I implore you to please consider reading into the research more carefully before making claims that are not in the best interest of our children.
I understand that besides being a psychologist you are also in the entertainment field, but your words have tremendous consequences to people reading or listening to what you have to say.
Best,
Michael Blumberg
—–
I had no intention on putting this on Facebook, but since she took down my post (while leaving up a post of someone who supports her view) I felt like I should post this.
Feel free to comment, even if you disagree, and I promise I won’t delete your comment.”

Wagers on how long it takes her to delete this from her Facebook page??

That was awesomely funny. But then, I expect no less from The Daily Show. I was wondering about the psychologist myself but I see from the comments that she is for real. I have often said it’s a scary world out there. But I didn’t really know what scary was until I heard her.

Keep up the good work Lenore!

That is quite easily one of the best things I’ve ever seen! Couldn’t stop laughing.

But really Lenore, you should be ashamed! How DARE you push your agenda with things like facts and statistics? Everyone knows that what really matters is feelings!! xD

Keep up the good work.

@Donald,
Me too… You need to use Hola Unblocker, it’s free (and unfortunate that it is necessary).

“Dr.” Ruskin doesn’t hold a PhD. Shocking, huh?

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-karen-ruskin/14/669/a07

Great bit. When I was a kid, my friends and I gathered up the mitts, bats and balls at 9 am, and didn’t return home until it was too dark to play. Of course there was the lunch break, but most of our parents were at work, so us 13 yr-olds were left to our own devices. If we ever (rarely) felt threatened by a strange person, we either ran off or simply laughed it off. Needless to say, we all made it safely into adulthood.

As for the psychiatrist, I took great joy in watching her reduced to stuttering, then silence. It’s her kind of ignorance that adds to the peak in Effexor use, among other prescription drugs, and child obesity.

Great job Lenore….keep up the positive work!!

@JKP,
Considering her history and lack of PhD, I would say “Media Psychotherapist” means she plays a psychotherapist on the internet and on TV.

This was so fun to watch!! You AND Melissa McCarthy? What a blast. Loved it.
Sarah M

great issues altogether, you simply won a new reader.
What might you suggest about your submit that you just made a few days in the past?

Any positive?

I laughed thru this. I am a mom of 7. They play outside, in parks, for hours…and my neighbors don’t like it. I am the fodder for many conversations…life is crazy!