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
The 10 Worst Helicopter Parenting Stories of 2021
Suffice it to say, the pandemic did not lead to great childhood independence policies.
Arizona Mom Threatened With Prison, Placed on Secret Blacklist For Letting Kids Play At the Park
"The market was asking that anyone who didn't need to go into the store to please stay outside," she says.
Why Didn't Alice Sebold Realize Her Mistake?
How a bestselling author accused the wrong man of rape
The FDA Warns That Hand Sanitizer 'Can Cause Serious Injury' If You Put It in Your Eyes
"These are the same people who could not approve an at-home COVID-19 test for a year."
German Insurance Companies Demand Perilous Playgrounds So That Kids Can Learn About Risk
"This is fantastic progress in understanding childhood as the right time for children to learn to recognize and mitigate risk."
No One Is Wasting Their Ecstasy on Your Kids' Halloween Candy
The myth of the candy poisoner
Mom Sues Cops Who Arrested Her for Leaving 14-Year-Old Daughter Home Alone
"When my daughter was 12 she'd walk down the streets of Shanghai to get donuts," says the mom, Megan McMurry.
OCD Won't Make You a Better Parent
"Like an addictive drug, the reassurances had less effect each time."
Meet the Property Owner Who Created a Toilet Garden to Protest Local Officials
"I have my First Amendment rights," says Hank Robar.
Cops Threaten Illegal Kickball Players With Child Abuse Charges
"The next step, after tickets, it goes to child abuse."
Former Staffers Condemn Cruel Treatment of Inmates at a Texan Prison for Sex Offenders
The men must keep masturbation diaries, wear ankle monitors, and even use penile circumference gauges.
Woman Will Be Tried Again for Shaken Baby Case From 1984
But shaken baby syndrome has become a doubtful diagnosis in the ensuing years.
After a False Abuse Allegation, Child Services Took This Mom's 3 Children Away
"We thought they helped people."
Camping Liberates Kids and Parents
Something about camping seems to turn 21st century worriers into parents with positively Spielbergian nonchalance.
Mom Faces Felony Charges For Taking a Drug Prescribed by Her Doctor While Pregnant
"I didn't think it was a big deal," says Kim Blalock. "My son is perfectly fine."
12 Years After Free-Range Kids, How Has Childhood Changed?
Smartphones and stranger danger keep kids inside, but the laws are improving.
Texas Becomes Third State To Pass Free-Range Kids Law
"You had the most right-wing members of the legislature signed on with most left-wing members."
Parents Wrongly Accused of Killing Their Baby Are Freed 13 Years Later
"I do not hold any bitterness toward anybody."
In Oklahoma and Texas, Parents Who Let Their Kids Play Outside Will No Longer Fear Neglect Charges
The Reasonable Childhood Independence bills restore basic freedoms to kids and their families.
Why Are Parents Afraid To Let Vaccinated Grandparents Visit Unvaccinated Grandkids?
Evaluating risk is hard in an era of parenting panic.
The Mom Who Was Terrified of Becoming Sex-Trafficked at Target
Spoiler: She was fine.
Survey: We Keep Raising the Age That Children Are Allowed To Play Outside
No freedom for kids until they're 11.
Mom, How Come the Kids in These Old Books Are Allowed Outside Without a Parent or Cell Phone?
Paging Encyclopedia Brown: Someone has stolen childhood.
Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic, and Zero About Jobs
Perhaps young people would be better served by having access to more job sampling opportunities.
School Calls Child Services on Mom Who Was 7 Minutes Late to Pick Up Her 10-Year-Old Son
"I'm getting it out there to make people aware," said JaNay Dodson in an interview.
Disabled Man on Sex Offender Registry for Prank Gone Wrong Will Get a New Hearing
"Once you have the Scarlet Letter, it doesn't go away until you're gone."
8 and 10-Year-Old Escorted Home by Firefighters After Neighbors Report Unsupervised Kids
Living under constant adult supervision should not be a government mandate.
Japanese Mapping App Helps Users Steer Clear of Loud Neighborhood Kids. But Why?
Experts speak of "society's growing intolerance for the sounds of children at play."
Kind Stranger Places Roses on Car Windshields, Cops Assume It's a Sex Trafficking Thing
"Was this something heinous or was it something of a lesser nature, was it completely harmless?"
Mom Arrested for Leaving Kids Alone While Working Gets $165,000 on GoFundMe
"My mom used to have to do the same thing when we were young."
Remember Bean Dad? Child Protective Services Was Called to Check on His Daughter
"They were just doing their jobs."
Parents: Don't Be Boring, Relentless Teachers
No need to follow the stultifying advice from Parents magazine on how to "Supercharge Every Storytime."
Canadian Mom Fined for Letting Grandparents Babysit Kids While She Went Grocery Shopping
"She was charged with violating the Reopening Ontario Act."
Carjacker Realizes Kid Was Left in Car, Returns to Parking Lot To Berate Mom
The mom got the kid back, but not the car.
School Evacuated After Student Brings Antique Dinner Plate
"No injuries were reported."
Bean Dad Canceled After Letting 9-Year-Old Daughter Figure Out a Can Opener
Second-guessing other people's parenting decisions has become a national pastime.
The 10 Worst Helicopter Parenting Hysterias of 2020
Another year of unnecessary fear.
Murky Laws Make It Too Easy To Label Good Parents 'Neglectful'
Everyday parenting decisions should not put people at risk of getting arrested, losing their kids, or being listed on a state registry for child endangerment.
Towns Are Banning Sledding Because Parents Sue When Kids Get Hurt
"Ensure all sledding equipment is in good condition, with no cracks or sharp edges."
Cops Threaten To Arrest Mom Who Wouldn't Show ID When She Picks Her Kids Up From School
"I pulled the kids and I'm homeschooling."
To Help Kids Find Their Passion, Give Them Free Time
Kids need more space to explore weird pastimes and obsessions.
Child Services Shouldn't Bother Moms Who Let Their Kids Walk Home From School
We're not criminalizing danger. We're criminalizing childhood independence.
Why Don't Parents Let Their Kids Have Any Freedom? Q and A With Chasing Childhood Director Margaret Munzer Loeb
"Parents feel a tremendous obligation to make life easier for their kids."
