How Much Do You Really Have to Play With Your Kids?
When our kids were toddlers my husband vowed he was going to write a book, “How to Play with Your Kids Without Getting off the Couch.” It would be filled with...
What My Kids Say About Their "Let Grow" Childhood, by Dan Emery I sometimes messed up as a dad. And part of seeing my kids (mostly) grown up is realizing...
Fifteen years ago my wife and I were lucky enough to hear a speech by Linda and Richard Eyre on “the Family Economy” that advocated giving kids the opportunity--and responsibility--to...
Daniel Kish is a teacher, traveler, and a fierce champion of childhood independence…who went blind as a baby. Then he started making clicking sounds and listening to the echoes bouncing...
My Daughter’s Highlight of 2021: Walking Home without Me
This post comes to us from Erica Schoder. Iowa-native Erica runs a think tank in Washington, DC, from her ex-pat base in Munich, Germany, where she lives with her partner...
A Christmas Morning Surprise for a Boy from His Distracted Dad
This Christmas morning memory popped up on our Facebook group, "Raising Independent Kids." (Feel free to join!) It comes to us from Rebecca Gomez, a Nebraska mom of three who...
An Alaska Mom Lets Her 9-Year-Olds Roam without a Cell Phone
Nancy Fresco is a writer and climate change researcher in Fairbanks, Alaska, and mom of twins. Her recent book, Go Play Outside! Tips, Tricks, and Tales from the Trails, offers parents...
Childhood Freedom in Action: Japan’s “My First Errand” TV Show
Yesterday I was interviewed by a reporter from a Japanese newspaper. She moved to DC in 1999, but grew up in Japan and remembers freedom like you're about to see:...
Embrace the mess, says mom of three curious kids Earlier this week we posted Neil deGrasse Tyson's video about how to not squash a kid's curiosity, which prompted Utah mom...
