Nation Profile
Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and president of the nonprofit Let Grow, in New York on Sep. 14.
THOUGHT LEADERS
Overparenting and the Crippling of the Next Generation Can less supervision make young people stronger adults and better citizens?
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eurotic parenting is preventing children from developing emotionally and becoming independent, says Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement and president of the nonprofit Let Grow.
years ago, you wrote a column: “Why I Let My 9-YearOld Ride the Subway Alone.” You got in big trouble. But now I guess the question is, why did you get in trouble? LENORE SKENAZY: Two days
after I wrote the column, which was in the New York Sun, I was on the Today Show, MSNBC, Fox News, and NPR. I got the nickname “America’s worst mom.” I got into trouble when I was on these shows because I said: “I trust my son. I trust the city. I trust strangers.” And to this day people ask:
52 I N S I G H T November 12 – 18, 2021
“But what if he had never come home?” It’s like if you’re not thinking about that worst-case scenario as a parent, you’re considered evil, you’re considered in denial, and absolutely uncaring and heartless. MR. JEKIELEK: In the film,
Dr. Peter Gray talks about how something has really changed dramatically.
MRS. SKENAZY: Peter Gray
is one of the co-founders of Let Grow, the nonprofit I run that’s trying to bring independence back to childhood. He’s an evolutionary psychologist who has studied play throughout history and its role in kids’ lives. It’s how the kids learn to make something happen. It’s how they learn to get along. We have replaced that with
BRENDON FALLON/THE EPOCH TIMES
Once dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” after letting her 9-year-old son take the New York subway alone, she’s featured in the new documentary “Chasing Childhood.” Here’s an excerpt of her interview on American Thought Leaders:
JAN JEKIELEK: Some
