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
Don't Blame Bad Parenting for the Death of 6-Year-Old Carla Neems
The coroner's declaration is a cruel twist of the knife.
New York Dad Should Not Face Homicide Charges for Accidentally Killing Twin 1-Year-Olds in a Hot Car
Laws criminalizing the act of leaving children in cars are misguided.
Media Shames Tom Brady for Cliff Jump With His 6-Year-Old Daughter
She likely wasn't in any danger, but that never stopped the busybodies before.
14-Year-Old Posts Picture of Airsoft Gun on Snapchat, School Suspends Him for 3 Weeks
The principal calls it "very, very serious" wrongdoing.
Cop Arrests Mom for Letting Kids Wait in Car During 10-Minute Errand
A Pennsylvania mom faces reckless endangerment charges for assuming her children—ages 2, 5, and 7—could survive a very short wait.
Fisher Price's Rock 'n Play Recall: A Reminder That Perfect Safety Is Impossible
The toy company allegedly failed to test its miracle cure for cranky baby syndrome.
When Did Play Become Occupational Therapy?
Every kid is special, but not every kid has special needs.
Cops Strip-Searched a 4-Year-Old After Mom's Errand Took Too Long
Child services called because Holly Curry let her kids wait in the car while she bought a muffin.
Parenting Without Fear
Free-range mom Lenore Skenazy talks with sociologist Frank Furedi about what it means to be a kid in the 21st century.
Good Moms Don't Have to Be Helicopter Parents
Let's celebrate free-range motherhood, not just on Mother's Day, but year-round.
This High School's 'Political Radicalism' Class Lets Students Hear From Far-Right and Far-Left Speakers
College campuses, take note.
Parents at UC-Berkeley Easter Egg Hunt Must Sign Waivers Due to Risk of 'Catastrophic Injuries and Death'
Are they hunting Easter eggs or landmines?
Mom Charged With Falsely Accusing a Man of Trying to Kidnap Her 5-Year-Old at the Mall
Video evidence contradicted Santana Adams' account.
Arizona Parents Who Defied Doctor's Orders to Bring Sick 2-Year-Old to the Hospital Now Face Child Abuse Charges
Cops release edited video of the encounter.
Mom Ignores Doctor When Her Sick 2-Year-Old Starts Feeling Better, Child Services Send a SWAT Team
"What about the parents' rights to decide what's best for their child?"
Is the College Cheating Scandal the Apex of the Over-Parenting Epidemic?
When all of childhood is considered college prep, desperate parents will do desperate things.
Woman Who Got in the Wrong Uber Thought She Was Being Sex-Trafficked. She Wasn't.
And yet her fear-mongering Facebook post about the ordeal was shared half a million times.
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."
