Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry by Lenore Skenazy.

FREE RANGE KIDS has become a national movement, sparked by the incredible response to Lenore Skenazy’s piece about allowing her 9-year-old ride the subway alone in NYC. Parent groups argued about it, bloggers, blogged, spouses became uncivil with each other, and the media jumped all over it. This book debunks dangerous myths and advocates rational care with Free Range Parenting Commandments, including:

KNOW WHEN TO WORRY (AND NOT) -- Playdates and Axe Murders: How to Tell the Difference.
NEVER LISTEN TO EXPERTS -- Who Knew You Were Doing Everything Wrong -- Them.
EAT CHOCOLATE -- Give Halloween Back to the Trick or Treaters.
TURN OFF THE 24 HOUR NEWS -- Go Easy on "Law & Order" too .
STOP THINKING LIKE A LAWYER -- Some Risks are Strength Builders.
STUDY HISTORY -- Your 10-year-old Would Have Been Forging Horse Shoes (or at least delivering papers).
FAIL -- It's the New Succeed.
LISTEN TO YOUR KIDS -- They're sick of Being Babied (except the actual babies, of course).
LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS -- They raised you, right? And you're still alive.
RELAX -- Not every little thing you do impacts your child's development, unless you smother or inspire rebellion.

A lot of parents today, Skenazy says, see no difference between letting their kids walk to school and letting them walk through a firing range. Any risk is seen as too much risk. But if you try to prevent every possible danger or difficult in your child’s everyday life, that child never gets a chance to grow up. We parents have to realize that the greatest risk of all just might be trying to raise a child who never encounters choice orindependence.

Hardcover
256pp
ISBN: 0470471948
ISBN-13: 9780470471944