"Take a moment to appreciate all that they can learn from trying to complete the task on their own," says Yale University's Julia Leonard.
Thankfully, a judge reunited the Boatright family last week.
"I was not panicking as I know the roads and know he is mature enough to walk there without incident," says Brittany Patterson.
In the Netherlands, kids grow up with more independence than in the United States.
Kirstie Allsopp posted online about her teen son's trip around Europe. Then someone reported her to the government.
Bad policy and paranoid parenting are making kids too safe to succeed.
"I never thought that this was even humanly possible," says Sabra Brucker.
Online trolls weaponized child protective services against J.D. and Britney Lott and their eight children.
"Can a child not ride her bike on the street in this neighborhood anymore?"
A pilot study encouraged parents to let their kids go free-range.
Thanks for the heads up, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"It really feels as though maybe we've lost touch with what's developmentally appropriate," says one Montgomery County mom.
It took a lot of work to clear this quiz show milestone.
This new school-to-parent pipeline allows parents to micromanage yet another aspect of their kids' lives.
Young people need independent play in order to become capable adults.
"You just can't raise kids like that anymore—it isn't safe," the cops told the Widner family.
A recent Pew survey says parents are "very involved in their young adult children's lives," but one might quibble with the definition of "very involved."
More like total eclipse of the fun.
A new white paper from the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends more unstructured play time for kids.
From bite marks to shaken babies, the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences is debunking bad science.
"The fear of liability is ruining modern childhood," says one mom.
And some good news, after all.
"People understand that these child abuse pediatricians have unlimited power," says Aaron Rapier, an attorney for the Kruegers.
Students in four Oklahoma school districts are also required to wear their school ID on a lanyard and sit on their own team's side.
Adam Nesteikis didn't even understand what he had done wrong.
A new study shows the pervasiveness of helicopter parenting.
These kinds of poisonings are rare to nonexistent.
In her new book From Rage to Reason, Emily Horowitz explains what's wrong with the sex offense registry.
Let's celebrate her return without exaggerating the relevant dangers; stranger abductions are rare.
This could be just the tip of the (m)iceberg.
"This is literally a playground that's for 2- to 5-year-olds," says former preschool teacher Katie Courtney.
"You don't have to punish me because I am already punishing myself," says Tabitha Frank.
"Nobody is abducting 1- and 4-year-old kids into sex trafficking," says the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center.
New reasonable childhood independence laws in these states will make it easier for parents to let children enjoy the holiday.
In the U.S., we arrest parents who let their 8-year-olds walk half a mile.
"I don't know this kid, I don't know his mom, I don't know where he lives," she said in a viral video.
"All I've been able to see for a little while was this trial," says Amy Lovato.
"Parents have told me that once their children learn to swim they have more confidence and self-esteem," says Joseph Brier, a swim instructor.
A new report finds that "most children benefit from some degree of independence by the time they are 5–6 years old."
Her viral video received 4 million views—and the police's attention.
"I didn't know if this would ever end," says Melissa Henderson. "I'm very relieved. A heaviness has lifted."
"We are here because one preschooler pulled down another preschooler's pants," says defense attorney Jason Flores-Williams.
In just two weeks, he has learned to hunt and survive. There's a lesson there.
He did "what any dad would—he went to hug his crying kid," says former town councilman Keith Kaplan.
When society criminalizes outdoor independence, it makes smart phone addiction more likely.
Normal human interaction should not automatically be considered creepy or criminal.
"I have never felt threatened by a single person in this town until meeting those officers and the social worker."
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