I mentioned that Lenore Skenazy’s book Free Range Kids had come out recently. Well, I was quite delighted when Lenore contacted me and offered a copy of it to review. You’d better believe I was interested in having her send me a copy.

I just finished reading it, and I loved it. Thanks, Lenore!

I know it’s really hard to not be overprotective of your kids. There are so many people encouraging parents to be overprotective. But, as Lenore points out in both book and website, crime stats as a whole and against children are down to the 1970s levels. It really is NOT more dangerous out there than when we were kids. We are simply more aware of the dangers and childhood in general has been made so much safer that we get a little nuts about even the small dangers.

A very good point is that kids need to be allowed to take risks. Children grow up and become adults, and if they haven’t learned to be safe on their own before they grow up, how will they cope?

And then there’s “Stranger Danger”. A point made in the book is that kids are far, far more likely to be killed in a car accident than by a stranger. They’re also far more likely to be abducted by family than by a stranger. Yet which do we worry about.

Yes, it’s dreadful that it happens to anyone’s child, and a nightmare for the parents who must live through it. But the odds are much against it being your kids.

Reading this book gave me some great ideas. I loved the idea of a camping birthday party, which was mentioned as something one mom would only let her daughter do if she came along and they camped together in a two person tent. I’m pretty sure her daughter would have been safe with all the other girls and I think as soon as I’m insane enough to want to deal with a sleepover with a bunch of sugar crazed little girls I will have to suggest this idea to my daughter. Because I am not as concerned with whether or not it would be safe as I am with how much sleep I would get.

Just think back to the things you did as a kid when you  were 5, 6, 7, 8… a teenager… you get the idea.

Are you protecting your kids from doing the same, even the good, safe fun stuff? Why?

Free Range Parenting is not about letting your kids run wild and doing whatever they please. It’s about letting them do the things children have not only been allowed to do but been expected to do for generations. Giving your kids a combination of more responsibility and freedom is a good thing.

Even if you’re not sure that you’re up for a free range parenting style I encourage you to check Free Range Kids out. You’ll get some great food for thought about the many things you really don’t need to worry about, as well as some of the things you should be concerned with. After all, not every bit of protection you give your kids is unnecessary.

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I was reading an interview with Lenore Skenazy on Salon the other day. With her new book out (Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry), I’m seeing a lot of stuff about her.

It just amazes me how overprotective parents can be.

The first product mentioned as an example of things overprotective parents buy was a helmet called a Thudguard. It’s intended for toddlers, so that they can learn to walk without bumping their heads.

I can tell you those are a really bad idea. Yes, toddlers bump their heads and get bruises. But if they don’t hurt themselves in small ways when they’re little they’re going to get quite a shock when they’re bigger.

I know.

My son wore a helmet for a few months as an infant. Not because I was trying to protect his head but because he had craniosynostosis and the helmets were to reshape his skull. But I would expect one effect would be the same as putting an unnecessary helmet on a toddler – my son was completely shocked when he learned that he could hurt his head.

The first day his helmet was off, he bumped his head in a way he had many times before. He was crawling by this point, and used to being able to go straight into a wall if he felt like it, or just drop his head down when he was tired.

It took him a few days to get used to the fact that bumping his head hurt. Now why would you want a slightly older child to not understand this? Better when they’re small and the bumps (and yes, the bruises) will be more minor than when the child is older!

Then there are the baby knee pads. Yes, you too can protect your poor baby’s knees from the horror of carpet burn!

Sorry, my eyes just rolled when I found out about these. Once again, where’s the need? Baby knees are made for crawling on. I think they can cope with the little bit rug burn or scrapes they might get in the process. It’s not something that’s going to really hurt them.

I’m all for protecting kids when they need it, but most children do not need to be protected from such minor injuries. If there’s a specific reason they need extra protection, fine, but not for most kids.

Better they figure out now what doesn’t feel good than they develop the notion that they can’t get hurt.

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I’ve been reading posts at the Free Range Kids website for a while. The writer has a lot of really good points about letting your children have a lot more freedom than many parents are currently willing to allow. You may even remember hearing about Lenore Skenazy a few years back. She’s the mom who let her 9 year old ride the New York Subway alone. The world out there isn’t quite so scary for kids as the media would have you think, after all.

I just found out that her book came out late last month. I’m betting it’s a great read. No, I don’t have it just yet.

If you’re not sure you’ll like the book, start out by reading the blog. You’ll get a feel for the parenting philosophy and decide if it’s something you need to learn more about.

The reader reviews so far are every bit as good as I’d expect for this book. That is, enthusiastic. I’m sure people who like it less will come around, as many parents can’t stand the thought of giving their kids this kind of freedom. But if you want to teach yourself to not give in to your own fears as a parent, it might help.

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