On The Blogroll: Free-Range Kids

The NYMetroParents blogroll features the best blogs in the parenting world, from New York and beyond. Here’s a closer look at why we love these mom bloggers and dad bloggers and how they’re shaping the web for parenting today.

Blogging From: New York, New York

Most women might crawl under a rock, hide or go off the radar. For Lenore Skenazy, being dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” and undergoing a very public media beat down only fueled the fire that makes her one of the most respected mom bloggers out there.

After some radio appearances and interviews about parenting, Lenore busted onto the blog scene with a parenting method she called “free-range.” According to Skenazy, “A Free-Range Kid is a kid who gets treated as a smart, young, capable individual, not an invalid who needs constant attention and help.” Safety is still key but you don’t need to be a helicopter parent 24/7, especially considering safety statistics are more in kids favor now than for older generations. Sounds harmless enough, and it should have been, until her piece titled “Why I Let My 9-Year Old Ride the Subway Alone” led to general outcry in the parenting community. Lenore refused to back down and in turn, started the Free-Range Kids revolution, blogging about her experience, giving advice and gaining quite the following (and some disdain, of course).

Free-Range Kids is not just a blog, but a parenting tool, whether you’re radically free-range with your kids or inquiring about loosening the parental grip a bit, Lenore’s got the best tips and stories. And she does it with more than a dash of humor, often noting that her kids are still alive and well despite being free-range.

Lenore’s posts have been rolling out on an almost-daily basis since 2008 and it doesn’t appear like she’ll be stopping anytime soon. Having such a “radical” outlook towards parenting might be offsetting to some but it’s a great jumping off point for discussion, experience and finding the happy medium between parental control and a child’s need to form a sense of independence and responsibility.

It’s unclear if the Today Show, Fox News and the like might revoke the harsh label of “America’s Worst Mom” after witnessing a movement grow and become an accepted form of parenting. Likely, that’s the last thing on Lenore’s mind. For now, she’s focused on being an amazing mom, blogger and the face for successfully raising Free-Range Kids. — Melanie Baker

Are you a mom or dad blogger in our community? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at [email protected]