A Sunday School Story (Complete, Of Course, With Predators)

Hi Readers — This seemed like the perfect companion piece to the post below this one, about our intense, almost obsessive focus on predators. Gosh, remember when “predator” was most commonly used to describe, like, a mountain lion or great horned owl? Those were the days!– L. Dear Free-Range Kids: We belong to a very [...]

What If We Feared EVERYTHING The Way We Fear Predators?

Hey Readers — Here’s a comment that came in the other day in response to a woman who is very wary of stranger danger. I liked its logic: Dear Amy (the woman who was consumed with predator fear): I can sort of see where you’re coming from, but take a logical approach. There’s a chance [...]

Cautiously, Town Lets Ice Cream Trucks Back in — For 1 Month

Wow, folks. This just in. The very, very brave and hard to spell town of Niskayuna, New York is finally allowing ice cream trucks to cruise the streets again (for a month-long trial) after a 34-year hiatus. The trucks were banned for a year back in 1975 after a girl was struck and killed while [...]

Funny, Sad Piece: When Did Kids Stop Knowing How to Play?

Hi Readers — I’ll write about my fabulous day with Mary Duval and her “sex offender” son soon, but first: One of you just sent in this piece that resonated so much. It’s called, “Frolicking 101: When Did Kids Stop Knowing How to Play?” by comedian/essayist Sarah Maizes. Excerpt: My kids are frolicking!  Really!! MY children! [...]

I’m Off for a Day on the Town with a “Sex Offender” (And His Mom!)

Hi Readers! I’m very psyched because tomorrow I am going to meet a young man named Ricky and his mom, Mary Duval. Ricky is a Tier 3 Predator Status Sex Offender, on the list for life. Or at least he was, for almost four years. How he finally got off that list this year is [...]

Talk About a Free-Range Childhood! (And 9-year-old Driver!)

Hi Readers! This cool note came in from the West Coast. I feel darn timid and tame after reading it. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I’m a 47 year old lawyer, male, married 22 years, kids 5 and 8. I was born in Southern California but raised from age 2-6 in Guadalajara, Mexico where my [...]

Outrage of the Morn’: High School Students Not Allowed to Light Bunsen Burners?

Hi Readers ! This just in. Read it and…give your kids some matches! (Yes, yes, properly supervised, of course.) — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: I am a high school science teacher, parent, and grandparent and a former cubmaster, and I couldn’t agree with you more!  This summer I taught a workshop on building model rockets [...]

Babysitting, Rocks, A.C. and One VERY Bizarre Dora Toy

Hi Folks — It’s Sunday, a lazy day, so here are some my recent Tweets (from Twitter) you might like: Great Salon piece: When do you let your kids babysit? http://bit.ly/carbKy Perfect one-panel comic about kids and their chemistry sets! http://bit.ly/by86B8 How a country without A.C. would be warmer in many GOOD ways: http://bit.ly/8Y7fsv Strange new [...]

De-Normalizing Normal Human Behavior

Hi Readers! In response to a post about schools and camps outlawing hugs (for legal and fear-of-perverts issues) a reader named Melanie wrote this: When will society as a whole stop modifying, changing and politicizing every single normal human action? The rules are becoming so numerous and far-reaching that it’s difficult to know how to [...]

The Irresistible Onion: “Kid Ready to Start Playdating Again”

Oh Readers — Who can resist the temptation to quote from America’s Finest News Source? Not me. So here goes. To read the perfect article in its delightful entirety (complete with mom trying to set the boy up),  click here! — L. TAMPA, FL—Despite having been hurt more times than he can count, local kindergartner [...]