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The Evil Urge to Blame Parents
A mom and dad who let their kids, 10 and 7, walk to the grocery in a city outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, are grieving today because the 7-year-old, Legend, died after running into the street and being hit by a car.
If you had to decide on a punishment for the parents, would you:
A -- Arrest them for manslaughter, set bail at $1.5 ...Read more
Is it Fun or Illegal?
"When you see this, do you think it's just fun? Or do you think that it's illegal?"
Um ... fun?
Wrong! "It is definitely the latter. Whether it's fun or not."
So begins a Facebook post by the Aspen, Colorado, Police Department. And what is this possibly fun but definitely illegal activity?
The photo shows a ponytailed girl riding a bike with...Read more
More States Making It Legal to Play Outside
It's spring -- a great time for kids to play outside, walk to the store or even climb a tree. And three states -- Florida, Georgia and Missouri -- have just passed legislation declaring it is not parental neglect or child endangerment to let kids do that.
Hallelujah!
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed his state's bill into law this week. The ...Read more
Make Every Day Mother's Day
With Mother's Day upon us like a tray of eggs and coffee accidentally spilled on the blanket, it is time to ask the equally burning question: What do moms want?
The answer: a little less.
A little less perfection. A little less worry. A little less time in the car. We want a way of parenting that is not quite so overwrought.
That's a tall ...Read more
Of Gorillas, Babies, Parents and Blame
You may recall the tragedy that happened almost nine years ago when a toddler got away from his mom at the Cincinnati Zoo and somehow fell into the gorilla enclosure. Fearing the gorilla could harm the child, and knowing that tranquilizers do not take effect immediately, the zoo made the difficult decision to kill the gorilla.
And then a good ...Read more
It's Not a Crime to Live in Reality
Would you leave your sleeping child in a hotel room with a baby monitor and go eat at a nearby restaurant?
That's the question posed by Stephanie Murray in a wide-ranging Slate piece. Murray was inspired by two things: one, the viral mob attacking parenting influencers Matt and Abby Howard for leaving their babies in their cruise ship cabin ...Read more
Catching Flak for Playing Catch
A few weeks ago, Adam Washington was tossing a football with his son, 14, at a park in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Not too far away -- but far enough to avoid being bonked by a ball -- his wife was pushing their toddler in the swings.
And then two Lower Merion Township Police Department cop cars pulled up.
"I said to my wife, 'I think they're going...Read more
Helicopter Parenting Gets Grounded in Georgia
Just a few months after Georgia mom Brittany Patterson was arrested for the crime of not knowing that her then-10-year-old son had walked to the store on his own, her state has passed a Reasonable Childhood Independence law, making it the ninth state to do so. It now goes to the governor for signing.
The bill clarifies that "neglect" is only ...Read more