Hey Kids! What To Do If You Are Trapped in A Trunk by Your Local Madman!

Hi Readers: As a Free-Range parent I believe in preparing kids to be independent and safe. Just as we teach them to “Stop, drop and roll!” in the unlikely event they’re ever on fire, it makes sense to teach them to yell, kick and run in the equally unlikely event some creep tries to grab [...]

Should a Teen Who Forwards a Sext Land on Sex Offender Registry?

No, says the dad of the boy in question. Here’s the story: Boy #1, age 14, had a girlfriend who sent him a nude picture of herself. Then he and the girl broke up and he, repulsively, forwarded the photo to kids at three other schools. It seems that some of the kids who got the [...]

You Will Love This! Yay, Kid!

A five-year-old calls 911 when her daddy can’t breathe. Here’s the story, as seen on the Bonnie Hunt Show. A reminder to all of us: 1 – Teach your kids about 911. 2 – Remember what kids are capable of! They can rise to the occasion! (Let’s just hope the kid doesn’t get her own reality [...]

Interesting Stories I’ve Tweeted in the Past 24 Hours

Hi Readers! I get a lot of amazing material throughout the day and when I can’t think of anything particular to add in the way of a blog post,  I just Tweet them. It finally dawned on me that maybe I should share those Tweets right here, because not everyone is a  Twitter-type. So here [...]

Just What the World Needs: Kiddie Lingerie

And yet, that’s what the world it is getting: A new line of lingerie for girls 9-14 aunched by Miley Cyrus’ little sister, Noah, and Miley’s Hannah Montana co-star, Emily Grace Reaves. Or so sez BoingBoing. Read all about it here (and here and here). Does anyone else remember the furor when Miley took those sexy, shirt-free photos [...]

Outrage of the Week: Boy Almost Suspended for Lego Gun The Size of a Cheeto

Hi Readers — I am ashamed to say this incident happened in my own city, New York. (Well, Staten Island, anyway.) A Staten Island fourth-grader was reprimanded and almost suspended yesterday when the principal spotted him playing with a LEGO policeman and a two-inch-long toy gun during lunch, the Advance reports. Under the city’s no-tolerance policy [...]

All Men Are Perverts, Part II: The Clerk

Here’s a short, fun post from the blog (The Customer Is) Not Always Right, all about a new clerk trying to figure out where to shelve the girls’ underwear he is carrying. Yes, that means he is wandering around the store, in public, girls’ panties in tow.

Why We Love The Onion, Parts 84,391 and 84,392

It’s because of stories like this: “Nation’s Strangers Decry Negative Portrayal Among Children.” And video news reports like this: “Missing Girl Probably Raped.” How do they nail it again and again? Anyway, if you’re easily offended, skip these. If not — enjoy!  Lenore P.S. This classic just in! Sent by a reader:  ”More U.S. Children [...]

Fantastic (Under-reported) News: Child Abuse WAY DOWN!

Hi Readers — Yes, it’s true! According to this story by the Associated Press, a “massive” federal study finds that child abuse has declined a whopping 26% from 1993 to 2006. What’s more, child sexual abuse is down even more dramatically: 38%! The reasons seem to be a combination of higher awareness of the crime, [...]

Shark to 14-Year-Old Girl: Okay, Okay. You Win!

Hi Readers — Not quite sure what this has to do with Free-Range other than: Never underestimate the power of a 14-year-old girl! The one in this New Zealand incident gave her attacker a whack and lived to tell the (shark) tale.  – Lenore