What COVID-19 and Stranger Danger Have in Common
The risk to kids is exaggerated.
Free-Range Kids
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.
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."
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."
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."
Public School Forces Kids To Take the Bus Home. Walking Is Faster.
A mother of three children—ages 9, 10, and 11—just can't convince the principal to let them walk home.
Should Parents Fear Marijuana Edibles in Their Kids' Halloween Candy? No.
This basically never happens.
Intellectually Disabled 33-Year-Old Man Lands on the Sex Offender Registry After Trivial Incident
"Residence restrictions do not decrease and are not a deterrent for sexual recidivism."
Colorado Couple's Adoption Plans Wrecked by Child Neglect Charges for Briefly Letting a Kid Nap in the Car
"If you're on that registry, you're bad."
Pennsylvania Reminds Parents That Learning Pods Must Have an Evacuation Plan
"My daughter can have five friends over for a sleepover without my being fingerprinted and federally background-checked."
Cops Use Pictures of Adult Women To Trick Men Into Meeting for Sex, Arrest Them as Child Predators
Many alleged perpetrators, no actual victims.
Congress Would Like the CDC To Ruin Halloween
"We are writing to ask you to update your Halloween safety guidance to include considerations related to COVID-19."
No Qualified Immunity for Kentucky Cops Who Strip-Searched a 4-Year-Old and Threatened Mom
Judge: "America's founding generation... knew their fair share of unwelcome constables."
Tennessee Officials Wanted To Make Monthly 'Well-Being' Inspections of Every Child in the State
The crazy plan was called off after parents sensibly complained.
The Upside of a Blackout? People Take Care of Themselves and Each Other
Nobody can read the rule book in the dark.
Why Are Bad Jokes 'Dad Jokes'?
Fathers used to be fonts of wisdom. Now they're the punch line.
Swiss Cops Investigate 8-Year-Old Boy for Trying to Use Toy Money
The boy will have his name in police records until the year 2032.
Cops Arrest Brooklyn Rabbi for Letting Kids—Ages 11, 8, and 2—Walk to the Store
They even sent an ambulance, because it's not like there's anything else going on in New York.
A Kentucky Family of 7 Didn't Practice Social Distancing. Now Child Services Is Investigating the Parents for Abuse.
A Home School legal defense group calls it "a terrible thing and a waste of time."
There's Light—and Growth—at the Other End of the Coronavirus Tunnel
"We are far more resilient than we give each other credit for."
Parents, Let the Coronavirus Quarantine Be an Excuse To Give Kids Some Free Time
You don't need to plan every minute of their day.
Coronavirus Is Causing Freaky Friday for Helicopter Parents
Now older folks are being treated to some (extremely necessary) overprotection.
Don't Worry About Your Kids Playing Too Many Video Games While Under Quarantine
In fact, maybe the parents should play, too.
Parents Don't Need Advice on How To Talk To Their Kids About Coronavirus
Not every situation requires an expert's guidance.
The Moral Panic Over 'Stranger Danger'
Why are we freaking out about the safety of our kids?
Video of an Alleged 'White Van' Kidnapping in Springfield Went Viral. Nothing Actually Happened.
Police say there were no reports of attempted kidnappings.
'Taking Our Baby to the Hospital Was the Single Most Harmful Decision We Made'
Child services falsely labeled this dad an abuser and took his adopted newborn.
