Free-Range Kids, How To Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I rarely give books 5 stars, but I really really liked this book and needed hear so many of the things she wrote about. The chapter on "Relax" really hit home for me. "We'd better be doing a great job raising our children, everyone is watching!" We have such a fear of doing everything the right way. I love the idea of loosing out grip on our children. I am not saying I am going to drop my kids off at a park and come back for them in 2 hours, but I will let my 5 year old walk our dog to the end of the block all by himself without me having eyes on him the whole time. And I am completely comfortable letting my kids run 8 houses down the street to their friends house,including crossing a street,by themselves! Let's all lighten up a bit, let our kids talk to strangers, and let them be the capable little beings that they are. Originally posted on Sarahsbookshelf.com:I’m a bit of a skeptic when it comes to parenting books. I myself find that most books do a poor job of telling me how to parent, when most of my parenting comes from my gut–a place that has very rarely steered me wrong. But this book, by Lenore Skenazy, was just fabulous. Skenazy might be familiar to you because she made headlines by allowing her young son to ride the NYC subway solo. She was nicknamed “America’s Worst Mom” after that incident.Skenazy is a journalist by trade and her writing is witty and fun, but the facts of the book are what kept me coming back. She shows us statistically why many of our fears as parents are really not based in any sort of reality. Due to our lovely access to information (thanks to cable news and the Internet), we now believe that the world is much worse than it actually is. As Skenazy notes, we actually live in a safer world than when many of us newer parents were growing up.While it may be easy to be dismissive of her position, Skenazy also makes points about why many of our best efforts at safety are actually raising less-safe kids, due to lack of experience and lack of independence. Stories she shares are based on fact and really bring home many of the larger points that she’s trying to make about why it’s important to not only let kids be kids, but also to let them be more independent at a younger age. I found her argument to be quite compelling. I’m not usually a fan of “parenting” books, but this one is one I will definitely be recommending in the future.
What do You think about Free-Range Kids, How To Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) (2009)?
I definitely laughed out loud, I didn't agree with everything but with lots of things.
—honey
One of my favorite parenting books ever.
—Amelia
A good reminder about kids and life.
—misterpresidentsir
