Contributing editor Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a nonprofit promoting childhood independence and resilience, and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement.
Lenore Skenazy
Latest from Lenore Skenazy
Momfluencer Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail Over False Kidnapping Report
"Nobody is abducting 1- and 4-year-old kids into sex trafficking," says the director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center.
Free-Range Kids in Virginia, Connecticut, and Illinois Celebrate a Very Special Independence Day
New reasonable childhood independence laws in these states will make it easier for parents to let children enjoy the holiday.
Resourceful Indigenous Kids Survive 40 Days in Amazon Jungle
In the U.S., we arrest parents who let their 8-year-olds walk half a mile.
Confused TikTok Mom Asks for Help When Random Child Comes Over To Play With Her Kid
"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.
Court Clears Colorado Day Care Worker Accused of Child Abuse After Mundane Incident
"All I've been able to see for a little while was this trial," says Amy Lovato.
Teaching Kids To Swim Is a Great Way To Protect Them From Actual Danger
"Parents have told me that once their children learn to swim they have more confidence and self-esteem," says Joseph Brier, a swim instructor.
Even Kindergartners Should Be Allowed To Walk To School: Study
A new report finds that "most children benefit from some degree of independence by the time they are 5–6 years old."
Momfluencer Convicted of Falsely Reporting an Attempted Abduction of Her Kids
Her viral video received 4 million views—and the police's attention.
Mom Who Was Arrested for Letting 14-Year-Old Babysit Has Finally Been Cleared
"I didn't know if this would ever end," says Melissa Henderson. "I'm very relieved. A heaviness has lifted."
A 5-Year-Old Pulled Down a 3-Year-Old's Pants. The Preschool Workers Are on Trial.
"We are here because one preschooler pulled down another preschooler's pants," says defense attorney Jason Flores-Williams.
Flaco, New York City's Escaped Owl, Is a Flying Free-Range Metaphor
In just two weeks, he has learned to hunt and survive. There's a lesson there.
Cops Harass Parents Who Let 6-Year-Old Daughter Take a Walk Outside, Arrest Dad
He did "what any dad would—he went to hug his crying kid," says former town councilman Keith Kaplan.
Social Media Making Kids Depressed? Send Them Outside To Play
When society criminalizes outdoor independence, it makes smart phone addiction more likely.
Cop Orders Reporter To Leave a Park for Daring To Interview a Child
Normal human interaction should not automatically be considered creepy or criminal.
Connecticut Parents Arrested for Letting Kids, Ages 7 and 9, Walk to Dunkin' Donuts
"I have never felt threatened by a single person in this town until meeting those officers and the social worker."
You Can Eat Better Than King Henry VIII, Thanks to Globalization and Burger King
Thanks to globalization, we plebes can pay just $6.49 for a whole Whopper meal fit for a 16th-century king.
Cops Question Connecticut Mom Who Let 7-Year-Old Walk a Mile
"She is way too young to be walking this distance by herself," said the cops.
Top 10 Attacks on Free-Range Parenting in 2022
Overbearing CDC guidance, pointless calls to the police, and more.
CPS: Mom Can't Let Her 3 Kids—Ages 6, 8, and 9—Play Outside by Themselves
Pearisburg, Virginia, social services says kids must be watched—at all times—until they turn 13.
Sex Offender Registry Prevents Dying, Bedridden Man From Spending Final Days at Home
"My opinion is no exceptions should be made," says the chief of the police.
Suburban Mom Handcuffed, Jailed for Making 8-Year-Old Son Walk Half a Mile Home
Heather Wallace plead guilty to child endangerment and can no longer work with kids.
Are We Still Awed by the Heavens?
A dimming sky and overprotective parents make it harder for today's kids to observe the great expanse.
Federal Government Still Tells Kids To Wear Masks on Halloween, For COVID-19 Safety
"Keep safe from COVID by following CDC advice to wear a mask."
Maryland Law Prohibits Grandmothers From Giving Bunk Beds to Foster Kids
"Where is she going to put the grandkids if she doesn't create a bunkbed situation?"
No, That Isn't 'Rainbow Fentanyl' in Your Kid's Candy Stash
"I'm skeptical that [dealers] would try to target children where there is not an existing market," says Sally Satel.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Warns About Unsafe 'Back-to-Schooling'
You're more likely to be struck by a meteor than to have your kid abducted by a stranger.
Mom Who Let Her 7-Year-Old Play at the Park Will Not Be Added to Arizona's Unfit Parent Registry
A Tucson mother who briefly left two kids alone while she ran an errand won a temporary reprieve in court.
NYC Has 98 Closed Playgrounds, Despite Mayor Eric Adams' Pledge
The mayor promised to reopen city playgrounds, but more of them are currently closed than before he took office.
The County Where Businesses Can Self-Identify As Parks in Order to Keep Sex Offenders Away
"There's currently no way for me to even know where that buffer zone is."
Kids Can Learn Without Instruction
"It may be the case that [some American] children give up control of their attention when it's always managed by an adult," say some experts.
Let's Applaud the 10-Year-Old Who Walked to School Every Day for 4 Years
A kid roaming the streets on his own is like an endangered species: once common, now rare, and worth trying to bring back.
Don't Call Child Services on Families Who Take Their Kids to Drag Shows
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis thinks drag shows represent "child endangerment."
She Let the Kids, Ages 3 and 5, Wait Briefly in the Car. Now She Can't Be a Teacher.
Many parents are on the child abuse and neglect registry, and they don't even know it.
I Stopped To Watch Kids Playing at Recess. Security Was Called.
"I really think I'm allowed to stay here," I explained, in vain.
Happy Mother's Day From the 'Worst Moms' in American History
Yours truly made the list.
Woman Calls Security on Dad Taking Pictures of His Own Kids, Then Pepper Sprays Him
"The suspect then intervened, deployed pepper spray and sprayed the victim, before fleeing the scene on foot," according to the police.
All Americans Should Watch Old Enough!, a Netflix Show About Free-Range Japanese 3-Year-Olds
In Japan, even very young children are seen as capable.
Colorado Approves Law That Gives Kids 'Reasonable Independence'
"We certainly don't want parents getting in trouble because their kids were playing on the playground," says Gov. Jared Polis
Police Repeatedly Question Mom of 6 Who Let Kids Pick Up Litter Outside
"There are no known stories of any abductions here," says Anna Hershberger.
Misunderstanding Trauma—and Resilience
Perhaps our culture is accidentally creating PTSD by expecting it, assuming that no one could possibly emerge from a trauma psychologically intact.
Texas Plans To Execute a Mom for Killing Her 2-Year-Old, but the Case Has Numerous Problems
The district attorney who put Melissa Lucio away is now behind bars himself.
Free, State-Run Preschool Worse for Poor Kids Than No Preschool, Study Finds
"If this study doesn't put the nail in the coffin of academic training to little children, it's hard to imagine what will," says psychologist Peter Gray.
Mom Handcuffed, Jailed for Letting 14-Year-Old Babysit Kids During COVID-19
"I almost don't have words for how low it made me feel," says Melissa Henderson.
'These Kids Are So Anxious and Depressed They Can't Do Anything for Themselves'
A seventh grade health teacher says that masks and lockdowns have made her students less resilient.
Viral Social Media Story of Attempted Child Luring Turns Out To Be Nothing
"You could hear they were trying not to laugh."
The 10 Worst Helicopter Parenting Stories of 2021
Suffice it to say, the pandemic did not lead to great childhood independence policies.
