Hi Folks! Here’s a guest essay from Lisa Baker, who’s trying to be a Free-Range Mom to two kids in Atlanta, Georgia. She writes about her parenting adventures at Organic Baby Atlanta. Enjoy! L. Warning: Toddler at Play by Lisa Baker In the Yequana tribes of South America, parents let toddlers wander near open campfires, playing with knives. In Romania (where I lived for a year), mothers send toddlers alone to the corner store to buy bread and cheese for breakfast. Me? I let my toddler play in the yard. Oh, I know it’s a risk. I wouldn’t have let…
Author: lskenazy
Hi Readers! Happy Mother’s Day to moms of all stripes! If you want to read my sentiments about our parenting-as-a-spectator sport, they are here. Now go enjoy some burnt-but-lovingly-made toast! — L
Hi Readers — Feeling sluggish? You can listen to the song below OR just read this piece about a boy in Denver who told a fellow first-grader, “I’m Sexy and I Know It.” The brilliant school administrators defined this as “unwelcome sexual advance” and promptly suspended the boy for three days. It’s enough to make you bang your iPad over your head (pointless though that would be). (Pricey, too.) (And need I mention: painful.) BUT — there’s a silver lining! This happened in Colorado, the state where the Columbine massacre occurred. The state that went almost understandably crazy with “closing…
Hi Folks! I loved this letter sent in by Emily Guy Birken, who describes herself as a stay-at-home-mom and a freelance writer in Lafayette, Indiana. She blogs about her life with her rambunctious toddler at http://sahmnambulist.blogspot.com. Dear Free-Range Kids: Your post about “How to Spot a Predator” reminded me of something I noticed recently when watching some of my son’s favorite movies with him. It seems to me that Pixar has quite the Free-Range attitude. The predator post reminded me of the moment in The Incredibles, when the mom tells her kids that there are bad guys who want…
Okay, you know I’m not advocating that other kids follow in this tyke’s bike-steps, but how cool that a 2-year-old in German managed to zoom three miles to visit his ailing grandma! In stocking feet! Because he was worried! Moral? Never underestimate the power of a toddler. (Or love!) – L
Hi Readers — Still trying to figure out what part of this Circle of Moms post, “How to Spot a Child Predator” irks me the most. It’s by a lady who was at a cafe and heard a man asking two third grade boys questions like, “What’s your favorite subject?” and “Who do you want to marry when you grow up?” He also asked them some math problems, so the lady immediately “understood” what she was hearing: …like a thunderbolt, it hits me! Those boys are being groomed. How exactly did she know he was up to no good?…
Hi Folks! As our annual “Take Our Children to the Park…And Leave Them There Day” draws nigh (does “nigh” ever get used without the verb draw?), here’s a lovely piece about why it is GREAT for kids to get out and play, on their own, without a coach, program or parents to organize (or limit!) them. The idea of the holiday is simple: We take our kids, age 7 or 8 and up, to the local park at 10 a.m. That way, they meet up with other kids from the neighborhood. We wave goodbye and the kids are on their…
Readers — Maybe it’s Malaysia that is the land of the free and the home of the brave. This 7th grade boy, Nayati, sure embodies all that — along with a shining optimism. The story (as far as I know) is this: Nayati was recently kidnapped by two men and held for six days, then somehow (I have no idea how) returned to his home and his community. His school called a special assembly and unveiled the surprise guests to the kids: The boy and his parents! Then, according to the blog Global Anni, run by an ex-pat teacher in…
Hi from Austraia, mates! About to embark on a rather long trip home. (But I sure loved it here!) In the meantime, please help this mom. — L Dear Free-Range Kids: So, this really plays into a question/problem I’ve been having. I want to have my daughter be more Free-Range/independent. She just turned 5 this month. I remember at her age being allowed to go outside to play and roam a fairly large area. But my daughter has yet to experience that. Partly because there are no other kids about her age outside, she’s not interested and I don’t blame…
Readers — Here is great news! Do you remember the two lacrosse players who were found guilty last year of carrying dangerous weapons because they had in their gym bags two small knives and a lighter — items they used to repair their lacrosse gear? Well, unbelievably, their case has been reversed!! This, says the Washington Post, despite the fact the officials were STILL saying: We consider bringing a knife to school one of the most serious offenses that a student can commit,” the officials said.The case reflects continuing tension about tough rules intended to keep students safe. Critics say…