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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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 INTERVIEW 
6

Calm Down, Your Kids Are Perfectly Safe

Writer/mom says parents worry, hover way too much

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(Newser) – With a constant barrage of news stories and TV shows highlighting child abductions and murders, it may seem like a supremely dangerous time to be a kid. But don't believe the media, says Lenore Skenazy, the author of Free-Range Kids. In an interview with Salon, she explains why children today are probably safer than their parents were. Crime rates are down, and "we're living in really safe times," she says.

It's 40 times more likely that your child will die in a car crash than be hurt by a stranger, yet clusters of parents "wait at the bus stop in the afternoon to drive the kid home, even if it's on the same block, even if it's in a gated community." Instead, it's time to stand back and let kids move about the world on their own, Skenazy says. "The fun of childhood is not holding your mom's hand."

Some 9-year-olds should not be let out of their parents' sight, sure. But others could probably do fine on the train or subway by themselves, says Lenore Skenazy.
Some 9-year-olds should not be let out of their parents' sight, sure. But others could probably do fine on the train or subway by themselves, says Lenore Skenazy.   (©hoyasmeg)
Lenore Skenazy's book
Lenore Skenazy's book "Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry" came out last month.   (Jossey-Bass)
Let the little ones take some risks, says Lenore Skenazy.
Let the little ones take some risks, says Lenore Skenazy.   (©brianna.lehman)
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It makes it seem like we are living in a world where children are in constant, utter peril, and the statistics actually don't prove that. - Lenore Skenazy, explaining how the media's over-coverage of child abductions skews people's views

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6 comments
VIEWING:
 
Laugh
May 4, 09 11:44 AM CDT
She's talking nonsense. She took a gamble with her child and it turned out OK, but it could have turned out like it did for the McCanns. This woman's advice is dangerous. Reply
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-4
IN RESPONSE:
RobN
May 4, 09 2:44 PM CDT
She's not talking nonsense. It's perception versus reality. Twenty years ago you never would have heard of the McCanns and you'd have happily let your kid play in the street till it got dark. Now a kid disappears on the other side of the world and you won't let your kid play in his own cul de sac. Twenty years ago a kid used his imagination and played outside; now he has supervised play dates. The cost of super vigilance is childhood obesity, dependance and a serious case of no fun.
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+3
Mr.C
May 4, 09 2:24 PM CDT
This lady is amazingly bold and I agree with her completely. Murders, Kidnappings, etc. are very very rare. TV displays sensational stories of bloodshed because Izzy making it home safely just isn't rare enough to get reported. (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_world_syndrome and the "see also" links as well) Reply
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+3
TerrifiedCitizen
May 4, 09 3:23 PM CDT
The reason we don't have many more kidnappings, abuse and murders than we do, is because most parents understand that the world is 40 times more dangerous than it was when they grew up. Reply
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0
IN RESPONSE:
RobN
May 4, 09 10:31 PM CDT
Statistically completely untrue.
Vote up! Vote down!
+2

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