Mom hears her 5th grader is being bullied on the bus--wants to jump in. "No," he says. "I've got this."
How'd he get so confident?
When she (anxiously) started letting him ride his bike around, he MADE FRIENDS.
Kids need INDEPENDENCE.
@LetGrowOrg
Lenore Skenazy
President of Let Grow, the nonprofit promoting childhood independence and free play. Founder of the Free-Range Kids movement (and book!). Former New York Daily News reporter.
From "Stand by Me" to "Stand by Mom"
My piece on the Rob Reiner classic in today's Wall Street Journal:
"After grabbing sleeping bags and canteens, they’re off, not a healthful snack in sight. No sunscreen, no adults, and no way to reach mom to say, 'I forgot my retainer.'”
Can't make this stuff up:
HOW A KID'S SOCCER GAME BECAME A CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES CASE
A mom overheard her son, 8, complaining about another kid playing rough and pretty soon a caseworker was conducting interviews:
https://reason.com/2026/01/29/how-a-kids-soccer-game-became-a-child-welfare-case/
"When adults intervene unnecessarily in children’s lives—supervising their play, mediating their disputes—they effectively call the rehearsal off, increasing the odds that things will go poorly later on."
By
@SimonLewsen
@thewalrus
Parents go to hosp (taking baby along) because dad ill. He's treated. They go home. There, baby falls off bed, starts having seizures. OMG. They call 911.
At hosp, they are accused of SHAKING BABY. But...hosp just saw the baby, fine!
He FELL. Not abuse!
https://familyfreedomproject.org/cook-childrens-hospital-calls-cps-on-texas-family/
Georgia mom lets son, 6, scooter to park. Lady stops him: How old is he? Where are his parents? Kid gets scared--scooters home to get away.
Lady follows him home, notes address.
Child protective services arrives 3 days later. Cites mom for neglect.
GREAT piece by @SmithCaseyA on Reasonable Childhood bill hearing in Indiana yesterday!
When it comes to investigating parents who let their kids do things unsupervised, she quotes Rep. @JakeTeshka:
“The standard should be danger, not disapproval.”
@LetGrowOrg
The partying in the high school bathrooms got so bad (one had a BUBBLE MACHINE) that a kid wrote about it for the school paper. When it got edited to nothing, he posted it online. THEN --
(This won @LetGrowOrg's Think For Yourself essay contest):
https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/01/beating-high-school-censorship-threats/
Great piece by @jamesbmeigs on the OBVIOUS, OVERLOOKED alternative to phones:
Give kids back REAL LIFE. Let them bike, shop, cook, wander...w/out US! All the things we curtailed, when trying to keep them "safe" from almost everything (except screens):
Guy goes to Walmart looking for Tylenol. Asks a mom. Her kid looks like he's about to fall off cart. Places kid back on cart.
SENT TO JAIL! 2 MOS!
Mom accused him of trying to STEAL kid.
Only camera footage saved him.
QUIT ASSUMING KIDNAPPING IS COMMON!
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/reached-grab-toddler-said-thought-120003813.html
SUPER @Edutopia 2-min video on the SCIENTIFIC PROOF that kids need MORE recess--preferably unstructured and outdoors:
https://edutopia.org/video/a-simple-recipe-for-blissed-out-kids-recess-stress
(At LetGrow.Org we also recommend keeping schoolyards open for free play before and after school.)
Giving kids some trust/independence is the ultimate gift. Here's how @EstherWojcicki did that, raising 3 super-successful girls.
(Look up the CEOs of @YouTube and @23andMe, for instance.)
Bonus: I asked her about the fact she got her kids pet rats.
https://letgrow.org/why-letting-kids-do-more-is-the-ultimate-gift/
A short, happy message about crime!
PERCEPTION: "I CAN'T LET MY KIDS PLAY OUTSIDE -- CRIME IS SOARING!"
REALITY: 2025 had
"THE LARGEST ONE-YEAR DROP IN MURDER EVER RECORDED."
Impossible to resist @DavidEpstein's top 2025 life hacks, color of the year, and favorite appendix. Yep.
And don't forget his biggest point, especially for KIDS: Do a LOT of different things & you gain the superpower of analogy (& discover yr passion).
https://open.substack.com/pub/davidepstein/p/2025-year-end-awards?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Gobsmacked and thrilled:
"10 Essential TED Talks of 2025"
My "Spend Less Time with Your Kids" is there!
https://www.ted.com/playlists/891/10_essential_ted_talks_of_2025
(At Let Grow, we have ways of helping parents step back and be amazed by their kids. And all our materials are FREE!)
On yesterday's webinar, "Give the Gift of Independence," attendees came from Australia, Mexico, Canada, Kenya, Costa Rica, Holland, Brazil & Venezuela.
PARENTS AROUND THE WORLD want to let their kids start doing more on their own!
Here's our free guide: https://letgrow.org/four-weeks-guide/
.@JonHaidt & @Catherine_Price on @MorningJoe talking about their new book, The Amazing Generation. SO GOOD!
Goal is not DEPRIVING kids of phones. It's about OPENING THE DOOR and LETTING THEM HAVE FUN & MEANING IN REAL LIFE.
(@LetGrowOrg's goal, too!)
https://www.ms.now/morning-joe/watch/the-amazing-generation-is-a-guide-to-fun-and-freedom-in-a-screen-filled-world-2476612163960
"My 8-y.o. has been experimenting w/ tiny moments of independence. The look on his face says it all. I realized that independence is an important thing to teach my children." - @BusinessInsider
For help letting go, visit LetGrow.Org!
Bill Maher is singing the Free-Range Kids / Let Grow tune! Give kids back more independence, free play --
And acorns!
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