Free-Range Kids

Learn to raise independent, can-do kids with a new edition of the book that started a movement

In the newly revised and expanded Second Edition of Free-Range Kids, New York columnist-turned-movement leader Lenore Skenazy delivers a compelling and entertaining look at how we got so worried about everything our kids do, see, eat, read, wear, watch and lick -- and how to bid a whole lot of that anxiety goodbye. With real-world examples, advice, and a gimlet-eyed look at the way our culture forces fear down our throats, Skenazy describes how parents and educators can step back so kids step up. Positive change is faster, easier and a lot more fun than you’d believe. This is the book that has helped millions of American parents feel brave and optimistic again – and the same goes for their kids.

Using research, humor, and feisty common sense, the book shows:

• How parents can reject the media message, “Your child is in horrible danger!”
• How schools can give students more independence -- and what happens when they do. (Hint: Teachers love it.)
• How everyone can relax and successfully navigate a judge-y world filled with way too many warnings, scolds and brand new fears

Perfect for parents and guardians of children of all ages, Free-Range Kids will also earn a place in the libraries of K-12 educators who want their students to blossom with newfound confidence and cheer.

Foreword xi

Introduction to the Introduction xv

The Actual Introduction Already xvii

1 Know When to Worry 1

Play Dates and Axe Murderers: How to Tell The Difference

2 Turn off the News 11

Go Easy On The Law and Order, Too

3 Avoid Experts 23

Who Knew You Were Doing Everything Wrong? Them!

4 Boycott Baby Knee Pads 35

And the Rest of the Kiddie Safety-Industrial Complex

5 Don’t Think Like a Lawyer 47

Some Risks Are Worth It

6 Ignore the Blamers 57

They Don’t Know Your Kid Like You Do

7 Eat Chocolate 69

Give Halloween Back to the Trick-or-Treaters

8 Study History 81

Your Ten-Year-Old Would Have Been Forging Horseshoes (or at Least Delivering Papers)

9 Be Worldly 95

Why Other Countries Are Laughing at Zee Scaredy-Cat Americans

10 Get Braver 107

Quit Trying to Control Everything. It Doesn’t Work Anyway

11 Relax 121

Not Every Little Thing You Do Has That Much Impact On Your Child’s Development

12 Fail! 133

Easy! Educational! Fun!

13 Lock Them Out 145

Make Them Play—Or Else!

14 Listen to Your Kids 157

They Don’t Want to Be Treated Like Babies (Unless They Are Still Crawling, Etc.)

15 Take the Long View 167

Wasting Time Is Not a Waste Of Time

16 Trust Strangers 179

Even the Folks Who Put the Faces on the Milk Cartons Aren’t Too Worried

17 De-Fang Anxiety 191

Independence Is the New Prozac

18 Embrace (Some) Tech 207

We All Scream for iScreens

Calling All Educators 223

Conclusion 243

Acknowledgments 249

Sources 251

About the Author 263

Resources and Connecting 265

The Free-Range Kids Card 267

Index 269

LENORE SKENAZY: After her column "Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone" created a media firestorm, Lenore got labeled "America's Worst Mom." Nice. She turned around and started the Free-Range Kids movement, lecturing around the world and hosting the reality show, World's Worst Mom. Now she's President of Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence.

"Lenore and I bonded over crows and kids. This book is only about one of those, but it's still great. Hopefully she'll get around to a book on crows someday."
—Dax Shepard, host, Armchair Expert

ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF WORRYING ABOUT...

...Creeps, kidnapping, germs, grades, flashers, frustration, failure, baby snatchers, bugs, bullies, men, sleepovers, and the perils of a non-organic grape?

Lenore is too! When the rollicking and commonsense book first came out, it caused a sensation and started a movement. Parents everywhere learned that it's okay to let their kids learn and explore for themselves.

In this update, the author tackles a pervasive culture of fear that's only gotten worse over time and with new and compelling research, stats, and real-world stories that will have you breathing a sigh of relief and laughing out loud. (But not at the same time¯that's a choking hazard!) There's even a special chapter for educators trying to survive in a world full of helicopter parents.

"A bubbly but potent corrective for the irrational fears that drive so many parents crazy."
—Dr. Robert Needleman, co-author, Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care, Ninth Edition

"Weirdly, I love this book! To begin with, it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Plus, Lenore and I share a big belief: Kids can do so much more than our fearful culture thinks they can."
—Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor, author, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes

"Lenore and I bonded over crows and kids. This book is only about one of those, but it's still great. Hopefully she'll get around to a book on crows someday."
—Dax Shepard, host, Armchair Expert

"A bubbly but potent corrective for the irrational fears that drive so many parents crazy."
—Dr. Robert Needlman, co-author, Dr Spock’s Baby and Child Care, 9th Edition

"This book transformed the way I think about childhood, parenthood, freedom, and fear."
—Kim Brooks, author, Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear

"eirdly, I love this book! To begin with, it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Plus, Lenore and I share a big belief: Kids can do so much more than our fearful culture thinks they can."
—Amy Chua, Yale Law Professor, author, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Political Tribes

"Free-Range Kids is the best kind of manifesto: smart, funny, rigorous, sane, impassioned, and bristling with common sense. If you'e a parent, or planning to become one, read this book. You have nothing to lose–apart from your anxiety."
—Carl Honoré, author, In Praise of Slowness and 30 Days to Slow

"It still amazes me it took an activist like Skenazy to decriminalize activities I took for granted as a kid. I felt lucky to discover Skenazy while my kids were still young. I hope subsequent generations will benefit from her work."
—Bethany Ball, author, What to Do About the Solomons and The Pessimists

"Free-Range Kids makes the perfect baby shower gift."
—Nancy McDermott, author, The Problem with Parenting

"Moral insight without moralizing—how rare is that?"
—Amity Shlaes, author, The Forgotten Man

"Lenore Skenazy is a national hero."
—Mary Roach, author, Fuzz, Stiff, and Bonk

"Read this book—Mommy said you could."
—Penn Jillette, Penn & Teller