Article Category: News

By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Bronx Kidnapping of 16-Year-Old Girl was (Thank Goodness) a Hoax

Did you hear about the Bronx kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl? It turns out it was a hoax. The girl says she faked it because of her overprotective mother.
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By Let Grow

Read Time: 9 minutes

Let Grow Looks at Common Child Safety Myths and Facts

Today’s parents are bombarded with more information, advice, and “cautionary tale” news stories than ever before. From viral Facebook posts to breaking news, it seems like there’s always something new...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

In Defense of White Vans: They are Not Coming to Kidnap Our Kids, No Matter What it Says in Your Facebook Feed

Don't believe the hype you see on social media about white vans. Learn how one simple Facebook post quickly spiraled out of control.
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

New Therapy for Depressed and Anxious Teens: Start Doing MORE on Social Media

Social media gets a bad rap for making kids (and everyone else) anxious and depressed: Is everyone else having more fun? Going cooler places? Happier with their lives -- and...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

Finns Find that The LESS Time Boys Spend in Physical Activity the WORSE Their Reading Ability!

When boys get less time to run around, they do worse on reading and math. That's the conclusion of a study done in Finland -- FINLAND! Land of way more...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 6 minutes

How One Family Got Their Young Kids to Start Going Outside On Their Own, Unsupervised — Without Freaking Out The Neighbors

The other day we asked readers to tell us how they're giving their kids more unstructured time, something that many families are eager to do. Here's one really helpful response...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

High School Coach Sued after Freshman Ruins Ankle Sliding Into Third. Seven Years Later, the Trial Begins. Is This the End of Youth Sports?

Enormous kudos to Steve Politi for writing such a gripping story in NJ.com that my heart is STILL pounding. It begins: John Suk sits with shoulders slouched and his head...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 2 minutes

This is Heavy: The Possible Connection Between Witch-Hunting in History and Mom-Blaming Today

After yesterday's post, about a mom being charged with child abuse after her 3-year-old son died in a freak escalator accident (as if all accidents can be prevented, as if...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

Heartless and Pointless: Mom Now Charged in Death of 3-Year-Old Who Fell Off Escalator at Airport in Freak Accident

What a horrible, horrible tragedy -- times two. Jiterria Lightner and her three kids, 4, 3 and 2, were at the Charlotte Airport on their way home from a trip...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

Why Are Young Americans Today So Much Less Trusting Than Older People Are?

Maybe it was always thus -- that the older you get, the more trust you develop. That's the most positive spin we can put on a new Pew Research study...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

How Very Modern: The Post-Halloween NextDoor Discussion of What Kids Were Caught Doing, Thanks to Ring

Margaret describes herself as "a svelte mom of two living in the Midwest who likes to remember the days when mischievous kids were forgiven instead of held up for public...
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By Lenore Skenazy

Read Time: 3 minutes

Could the Recent Decline in Children’s Reading Skills Be Due to the Decline in Free Play?

This letter wondering if the decline in reading skills could be linked to a decline in plain old playing comes to us from Barbara Chutroo, a social worker and dance/movement therapist...
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