Overly Cautious or Overly Crazy?
“Soooooo, it happened. The police were called because my 8 year old was riding her bike on our street.” That’s the email I got from Kay Eskridge, a Kentucky...
About: Lenore Skenazy
Posts by Lenore Skenazy
A Fun Way to Fight Childhood Anxiety
A new, fast, even cheerful way to fight childhood anxiety is having kids do new things, on their own, without their parents. ...
Fear Erupts Over America
Media reports have Americans terrified of being a victim of gun violence, but gun violence is lower than it has been in decades. ...
Making Recess Fun — for Bureaucrats
Kids at a Maryland elementary school aren't allowed to play tag, or even close their eyes, at recess, all in the name of safety. ...
What ’70s Kids Did That Today’s Kids Don’t
Kids in the '70s were not another species. Let your 6-year-old walk to the park, and you'll see it for yourself. ...
To Get Kids Off Phones, Open the Door!
Phones are serving the role that "go play outside" used to play: a way for kids to be out of our hair, occupied, without it costing much. ...
How to Become a Clue on ‘Jeopardy!’
So, how does one become a "Jeopardy!" clue? It's easy! Just let your 9-year-old do something the world considers dangerous. ...
The Stealth Reason College Kids Are So Miserable
Until we give kids back some independence to run around and play, they will arrive on campus unprepared. ...
WE Are the Reason Kids Are on Screens
A rant. Sorry. But this culture is driving me nuts! It is BLIND to the idea that kids CAN and in recent history HAVE done some things, on their...
The Odds of Your Kid Getting Kidnapped
Kidnapping remains one of the top three fears of American parents despite its (thank God!) rarity. One way to fight that outsized fear is to consider the actual odds...
America the Unhappy
Americans — “particularly those under 30 — have become drastically less happy in recent years,” The New York Times reported this week. Graphs from the latest World Happiness Report...
‘The Anxious Generation’ Has the Worst of Both Worlds
In a blockbuster Atlantic piece, “The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood,” my Let Grow co-founder Jonathan Haidt says our culture is getting it all wrong when it comes...
Not All Adults at the Park Are Predators
I’m trying not to obsess about child overprotection, but … obsess I do. Here’s the latest object of my ire: the playground signs in my burg, New York City,...
The NY Times Says Intensive Parenting Is Best, But…
“Parents Are Highly Involved in their Adult Children’s Lives and Fine With It,” declared the front page of The New York Times. Added the subhead: “New surveys show that...
Playing Is Always Unsafe
The following note was passed along to us by a dad whose kids attend a public school in Texas. It says (emphasis mine): Parents we need your help in...
Walmart and Abduction: America’s Favorite Things!
Sometimes I can’t tell if I’m overly trusting or if the world is the opposite, and here’s a perfect example: At the end of December, a 64-year-old man shopping...
Safetyism Eclipses Common Sense
School’s out on April 8 for many kids in the U.S. and Canada. On that date, a full solar eclipse will be visible from Texas to Ontario, and “There...
We Made Kids So Safe That It’s Hurting Them
Kids need to climb trees, jump off things and ride their bikes fast. That’s what the Canadian Paediatric Society is recommending in a white paper out today: “Healthy childhood...
High School Football or Day Care?
Football season is almost over, but for the past couple months, middle school students who attended high school games in several Oklahoma cities have had to sit with their...
Parents Just Can’t Let Go
Parents want to give their kids more independence but just can’t bring themselves to do it. That’s the conclusion of a study from the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott...