10 Stories That Drove Free-Range Parents Crazy in 2023

And some good news, after all.

Another year, another chance to bang your head against the wall, with good reason—and with Reason. Here are 10 incidents from 2023 that will alarm everyone who supports the free-range kids movement.

Unspecified danger in Aisle 4: The University of Michigan surveyed parents of children ages 9–11 and found that half wouldn't even let their kids go to another aisle at the store without them. Letting them out of sight for even a few moments seemed unthinkably dangerous.

Generation Unease-Z: "Gen Z perceives more dangers in life than previous generations." That was the finding of a study presented at the 2023 Society for Risk Analysis conference. (What danger lurks in the next aisle?)

Potty crashers: Students in several Oklahoma elementary and middle schools are now required to sit with their parents at all times during high school football games. In one district, the kids must also have an adult take them to the bathroom. No word on whether they're allowed to self-wipe.

D.C.'s one-child policy: One child per swing, that is. A playground sign in suburban D.C. listed 22 rules, including these: Children must swing in an "upright position," and there is to be no "loitering" on the slide. As for the jungle gym, kids must not "skip rings or rungs." Adult supervision required.

Not required? Fun.

Eek! A disproportionate reaction: Meanwhile, to the north, the town of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, shut down one of its playgrounds after a health hazard was discovered on the premises. The hazard? A mouse. No word on whether it was chasing a cat and wielding a mallet.

Sex panic: After a 5-year-old pulled down a 3-year-old's pants in Poncha Springs, Colorado, two preschool workers were criminally charged for not reporting the incident quickly enough. In court, a defense attorney told the judge: "We are here because one preschooler pulled down another preschooler's pants."

More sex panic: Sociologist Emily Horowitz's 2023 book, From Rage to Reason, chronicles what's wrong with the sex offense registry, including the case of an 18-year-old who had consensual sex with a 16-year-old. After the 18-year-old landed on the registry, it was almost impossible for him to find a job—but finally, he obtained work in an office. A judge then sentenced him to six years in prison for working too close to children. (The office was near a school.)

Blame mom: Before Connecticut mom of five and part-time Uber driver Tabitha Frank left for her shift, she called her children's father to come help her daughter, age 12, babysit. He said he would be right over, but then he fell asleep. While Frank was away, her 2-year-old accidentally fell out of a window and tragically died. The authorities decided that Frank hadn't suffered enough and charged her with manslaughter.

Cops and donuts: Two suburban Connecticut parents let their kids, ages 7 and 9, walk to Dunkin' Donuts. Police spotted the children and charged the parents with risk of injury to a minor. A few days later, they dropped the charges. But child protective services picked up the case and insisted the mom go to therapy. Who's the crazy one?

How about just a tardy slip? A Chicago mom who was late to pick up her children from school four times last year got a letter saying she was under investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services. "My daughter rushed to the car and she's like, 'Mommy DCFS came to the school, and the lady made it sound like we weren't going to come home with you today,'" said the mother. In Chicago's Cook County, 60 percent of black kids are the subject of a child protective services investigation.

But it's not all bad: There were many positive developments to celebrate this year as well. In 2023, four states passed "Reasonable Childhood Independence" laws: Virginia, Montana, Connecticut, and Illinois. These laws say that "neglect" occurs when parents put their children in serious, obvious danger—not anytime they take their eyes off them.

These states join Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado in becoming "Free-Range Parenting" states. With the help of Let Grow, the nonprofit I helm, the bills almost always have bipartisan sponsors, and they passed unanimously in four states.

In 2024, we're hoping to prevail in Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia, and the biggest kahuna of all: California. If you'd like to get involved, please visit LetGrow.org. And in the meantime, happy, criminal-charges-free holidays to all!