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 New York Times Thinks Helicopter Parenting Works, but It Depends How You Define It
Free-Range parenting is about fostering independence, not letting kids do whatever they want.
2-Year-Old Falls Out of Vehicle After Car Seat Mishap. The Kid Is Fine. Mom Could Be Headed to Jail.
Maimuna Hassan made a common mistake. Should that be a crime?
After Living Abroad, Kids Struggle With American Overparenting
In the home of the brave, a kid can't hold a pencil on the school bus.
Mom Tells Neighbors Her 9-Year-Old Daughter Could Help Them Do Chores, Cops Arrive With Child Labor Concerns
"Apparently the ad generated multiple phone calls from paranoid neighbors thinking I was using my child as a slave."
Mom Arrested, Jailed for Letting 7-Year-Old Watch His 4-Year-Old Brother at Home Alone
Ironically, the kids were watching the movie "Home Alone" when the cops showed up for no good reason.
Top 10 Worst Helicopter Parenting Moments of 2018
Aborted snowball fights, unused playground equipment, baseless child trafficking panics, and more.
Florida Company Sells Ankle Monitors to Parents Who Want to Track Their Teens
"Most people-we're talking hardened criminals who try to cut it off-have ended up in the ER."
When the Nanny State Actually Tries To Nanny
This is not just about kids, but about the adults they will become.
Police Thought Dad Leaving the Mall With His Daughter Was a Kidnapper
"Society is all too ready to interpret the most innocent of gestures as a prelude to abusing a child."
Bureaucrats Consider Shutting Down Informal Play School for 2-Year-Olds Because It's Too Safe
The 45-year-old cooperative has ground rules, which means D.C. government considers it an unlicensed daycare.
Police Solved the Case of the 5-Year-Old with Meth Poisoning, and No, It Wasn't the Halloween Candy
"We are extremely confident that he did not ingest any candy from Trick or Treat that was tainted."
5-Year-Old Has Meth Poisoning After Trick-or-Treating. It Probably Wasn't the Halloween Candy.
Braylen Carwell says he didn't eat anything, and previous candy poisonings turned out to be hoaxes.
Patch Publishes Completely Unnecessary Sex Offender Maps to Keep Kids Safe on Halloween
There is zero evidence that sex offenders prey on trick or treaters.
Fearmongering Article Falsely Claims 'Halloween Is Christmas for Sex Offenders'
"Pushing for new laws aimed at keeping kids 'safe' from 'sex offenders' on Halloween is nonsense."
13-Year-Olds Who Trick or Treat in Chesapeake, Virginia, Face Fines, Possible Jail Time
And anyone under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Daycare Center Tells Parents to Provide Helmets for the Kids
"It is advisable for toddlers to wear a helmet while in the playground because they can easily trip and fall."
Mom Regains Custody of 10-Month-Old Son Who Was Taken By CPS Because She Left the Hospital Too Quickly
Judge: "There is nothing in the record which would lead this court to believe that the mother is unwilling to provide the appropriate care for the child."
Man Wrongfully Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison Goes Free After Dog He Supposedly Killed Is Found Alive and Well
Joshua Horner was convicted of sexual abuse-his victim claimed he killed her dog to keep her from talking. But the dog is fine.
Wiz Khalifa Criticized for Letting 5-Year-Old Son Ride the School Bus
"What a time to be a parent! You can't win."
School Accidentally Lets 5-Year-Old Boy Walk Home. Nothing Happened, but Mom Is Furious.
"I am still trying to work out how he figured it out."
Stranger-Danger Panic Is Getting People Killed
"No child under the age of 10 in the United States that has ever been snatched from a parent in public and trafficked for sex."
8-Year-Old Girl Walks Dog Around Block, Police and Child Services Investigate Mom
"We want to investigate…because you just don't know."
Activist Shaun King Says CPS Came to Take His Kids After Someone Filed a False, Anonymous Complaint
"An anonymous troll has weaponized New York's Department of Child Services against my whole family."
Good Morning America Shouldn't Encourage Parents to Worry All the Time
When we overestimate danger, we treat everyone like they are fragile and in need of supervision.
Sex Offender Status Prevents Dad from Seeing His 14-Year-Old Son
Convicted of a sex crime with an 18-year-old female, he isn't allowed contact with any minors.
How the Free-Range Kids Movement Can Save Parenthood
"When it comes to kids' safety, feelings are facts."
Preschoolers Told Not to Play on Preschool's Playground Equipment
Slides were designed for kids 5 and up, and these tots are only 4.
National Zoo Will Implement Annoying, Unnecessary Security Measures
"The days of strolling into the zoo unwatched will eventually come to an end."
13-Year-Old Charged with Felony for Recording Conversation with School Principal
"If I do go to court and get wrongfully convicted, my whole life is ruined."
5 Times Child Protective Services Separated Kids from Parents for No Good Reason
"The number of children separated from their parents at the border since April is almost equal to the number taken by CPS every three days."
Mom Brings Coughing 10-Month-Old to the Hospital. Days Later, Cops Take the Baby.
'They already had a foster parent in the room, to remove my son... before they ever proved there was an emergency situation.'
Local News Uncritically Publicizes Mother's Kidnapping Freakout
A mom says her daughter was almost abducted at a rest stop. That's a stretch.
Cops Question Family for Cooking Mushrooms
"I figured a police officer would know what illegal drugs looked like."
Despite the Recent News, Bounce Houses Are Very Safe—If Set Up Properly
I'd suggest granting "Gold Bouncy Star" ratings for houses secured with particularly long, particularly strong spikes.
Penn State's 98-Year-Old Outing Club Is No Longer Allowed to Go Outside
"Student safety in any activity is our primary focus."
Here's Why Utah's New Free-Range Kids Law Will Help Parents of Color
"They call it 'free-range parenting.' I call it 'the rights of parents.'"
Father on Sex Offender Registry Escorted Out of Hospital While Trying to Visit Severely Ill Son
"My son has to pay for something I did."
How the Free-Range Kids Movement Is Helping Parents Embrace Their Libertarian Side
"So basically it's now legal to go outside and play like when I was a kid."
Freedom-Loving Parents, Rejoice: Utah Approves Free-Range Kids Bill
And your state could be next.
Legislator Wants to Fine Parents of Bullies $750, Make Them Take Classes
"A judge will make the determination are they guilty."
Dad Made 10-Year-Old Son Run in the Rain to Teach Him a Lesson
"This right here is just old-school, simple parenting. This ain't killing nobody."
