Policing Parents and Kids: The Year's 8 Most Paranoid Moments
And five examples of parents wisely letting their kids go—and grow.
Free-Range Kids
Government Standards Are Making 5-Year-Olds and Kindergarten Teachers Miserable
"I'm retiring earlier than I had planned because I just can't be a part of this any longer."
16-Year-Old Girl Admits Her Kidnapping Was a Hoax to Fool 'Overprotective' Mom
Stranger abductions are actually extremely rare.
Baltimore Mayor Says Men in White Vans Are Snatching Young Girls for Sex Trafficking
"It's all over Facebook."
3-Year-Old Dies in Freak Escalator Accident, Police Charge Mom With Child Abuse
If she is found guilty, she could face a maximum of 150 days in jail.
An 8-Year-Old Girl Says She Was Almost Kidnapped. Media and Parents Freaked Out. It Was a Hoax.
Two days later, the cops figured out the story was make believe.
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.
U.S. Government Says Migrant Children Deserve Dirty, Traumatizing Conditions
But isn't this really Obama's fault?
State May Vaccinate Children in Its Custody, Even Over Parents' Objection
So a New Jersey appellate court held today.
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.
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.
Good Moms Don't Have to Be Helicopter Parents
Let's celebrate free-range motherhood, not just on Mother's Day, but year-round.
Kentucky Judges Pre-Signed Blank Legal Documents So That Child Services Could Take Custody of Kids on Nights and Weekends
"Children are being illegally taken from their home without judges' proper authority."
Oh, the Places They'll Go—If You Let Go
An economist's guide to happier, more relaxed parenting
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.
Knock It Off, Lazy News Outlets. 'Momo' Isn't Telling Kids To Hurt Themselves.
When absurd ghost stories are passed off as actual journalism
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?
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.
Freeing Your Kids (and Yourself) in the 21st Century with Lenore Skenazy
Reason's livestream conversation with Lenore Skenazy.
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."
Feel-Good Story of the Day Until Someone Puts an Eye Out
Nine-year-old Colorado boy leads successful challenge to 100-year-old ban on snowball fights.
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.
A Mom Gets in Trouble for Being a Sex Offender Even Though She Wasn't Convicted of a Sex Crime
When Tessah Mitchell attempted to register her children for day care, a crime from 18 years ago caught up with her.
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.
Child Separation Policy at Border Led to Procedural, Personal Chaos, Says Inspector General Report
Children imprisoned longer than legal limit, resources directed away from actual border security, misleading statements about databases all surround the "zero tolerance" border policy
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.
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."
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."
