Themes: Parenting, Safetyism, Fragility, Resilience, Childhood Independence, Autonomy, Technology
Summary:
After her newspaper column “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” created a media firestorm, Lenore Skenazy got the nickname “America’s Worst Mom.” Nice. She went on to write Free-Range Kids, the book-turned-movement. (Second Edition just out!) She has been profiled in The New Yorker and lectured everywhere, from DreamWorks to Microsoft HQ to schools across America. On TV, you may have seen her on The Today Show, The Daily Show or her own reality show, World’s Worst Mom. Now Lenore is co-founder and president of Let Grow, the national nonprofit promoting childhood independence.
I was struck by Lenore’s story, and as I step into fatherhood this year, I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Tune in to learn how parenting has changed over the past few decades, why safety has become a top priority for parents nowadays, and how unsupervised play and letting go a little are key in raising resilient, confident and independent children.
Discover:
Why Lenore let her nine-year-old son ride the subway alone in NYC
Why the degree of independence and autonomy parents give their kids has changed drastically over the past couple of decades
Safetyism: what it is and how it contributes to fragility in our kids
The massive benefits of unsupervised play & tech-free play
Why tracking your kids erodes trust and can actually cause more harm than good
How to overcome parental anxiety
00:00 Intro
00:31 Parenting then vs. now
03:00 Letting her son ride the subway alone
06:43 Why are we so afraid for our kids?
10:52 The problem with prioritizing safety
24:09 Tech-free play
37:23 Why keeping kids safe has become a top priority
44:00 Is tracking your kids worth it?
51:21 How to overcome parental anxiety
Links:
Website | letgrow.org
Book | Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow
Twitter | @freerangekids
Facebook | Raising Independent Kids
The Coddling of the American Mind
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