Free Range Kids!

With a lull between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, many Canadians - like me - have been left with a whole lot of time on our hands!! The TV is getting a rest at my house and so I was able to finish off a book that I've been keen to read for quite some time. Free Range Kids by Lenor Skenazy, is her investigative report on the state of our North American society and useful suggestions about how "we can give our children the freedom we had without going nuts with worry". The book chronicles the fears of this generations "Helicopter Parents" and helps bring a realistic perspective to what most parents fear are the many dangers lurking out there! This is a MUST READ for all parents - it'll calm you down, make you assess risk more effectively and above all, remind you about the real goal of being a parent that we sometimes forget: TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN TO BE CONFIDENT, INDEPENDENT, CRITICAL THINKERS who can one day leave the proverbial nest!

Lenore's research is compelling and two points really stand out in my mind:
1) CRIME RATES/ABDUCTIONS - they are at an all time LOW yet we have more fear around them than ever. This causes us to limit or eliminate kids walking to and from school or playing outside. She advocates the buddy system and teaching kids about safety, but not getting caught up in the notion that every kid is just moments away from being abducted. LET YOUR KIDS WALK TO SCHOOL IN A GROUP when they are in Grades 2 and up - they can handle it...they need the exercise and besides, the odds are higher that they'll be injured in the car you drive them to school with!
2) FEAR CULTURE - this is reality of our current society which can support the likes of 24 hour news stations that bring the latest doom and gloom into our living rooms daily. Reality check - we are living in safe times with a lot of safeguards, laws, and medical advances that have made childhood less dangerous than at any other time in history. So, we all need to loosen up a little.

It's a great read...and by trying out a few of her suggestions it will certainly help make your kids a little more free range! Pick up your copy at a local library or at Chapters-Indigo.