I had a very free childhood growing up. Granted, we lived in a small town where not only did everyone know everyone else, but we were all related SOMEHOW! I spent my days from a very young age wandering around my “neighborhood,” which was loosely defined as a 1-mile radius around my home in the country, including the state park, Lake Huron and the other side of US-23 (yes, I was allowed to cross a major highway). I would frequently leave in the am, come back for lunch and then go out again until dinner. I was gone by myself for most of the day by the time I was 7 or 8.
A few summers ago, we had some friends over with their kids and they were BORED! We had no balls, bikes, rollerblades or even normal TOYS. Our only child so far was a girl who still wasn’t walking. I was astonished that she wouldn’t just send them to the park 2 blocks away to play without an adult. My husband concurred at the time. It’s dangerous in the city to leave a kid alone. I mean, there are sickos out there! he explained.
Later, I started to see bloggers raving about this book called Free-Range Kids. I was intrigued. Could this be the solution to all the hover-parenting hype? By golly, it was!!
Not only had “the World’s Worst Mom” Lenore Skenazy done all the research for me, but she appealed to my practical baby-steps side as well. She created a book that I can give to my friends when they look at me like I’m nuts. I am so happy to find that my instincts regarding safety are backed up statistically and that there IS support for my point of view. She even discusses some legal stuff regarding busy-bodies calling CPS on you for *gasp* letting your children PLAY!
This is such a great book! If you want your children to have the same type of childhood you did, please go read this book. When you’re done, you can say, I Read It!, too!
Want to read more? Check out her blog: http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
Jennifer, Snapshot (&5minutesforbooks)
9 January 2010 at 12:25 PM (15 years ago)Glad you read it! I still think about the principles and info in the book.
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Carrie, Reading to Know
5 January 2010 at 3:45 PM (15 years ago)That’s an interesting note about the busy bodies who call CPS. (Unfortunately, I know some of those.) I’m probably more of the hover parent type myself. But we’re still at the stage in life where a bit of hovering is necessary. This book is a few years out for me, but since I keep seeing such positive reviews of it, I’m likely going to take the dive at some point.
Thanks for linking up and adding to the discussion on this book!
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jen Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 2:11 PM
Mine is only two, but I feel like I spend too much time hovering. When I let her test, she never tests TOO much, but it’s given me the resolve to see where she takes it and how. ’cause otherwise, I’d hover :).
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