Lenore Skenazy

This is the book written by America's worst mom. She got that label for allowing her 9 year old son to ride the NYC subway alone. The shock. The horror. Think of the children!

She touches and writes about a feeling I've been having in how we are basing our decisions on irrational fears. These fears are twisting us to reach for impossible and contradictory standards.

(She focuses much more on child-rearing. You can read other reviews in here about that. I'm going to focus on the underlying fear in this review.)

We are putting our trust in logos (corporations) and government ... and getting mad when they fail us. Maybe we should just trust ourselves and each other?

Hey, I grew up with people telling me about "Stranger Danger". But as I grew older, I found that world fraught with Stranger Danger is indeed strange ... and wonderful. It's not that the world is a scary place. It's that we are scared of the world.

Part of me was jealous of the free range kids who have such a sense of accomplishment and lack of fear. It's been a long road for me but I'm getting there.

Now, I seek that hole in the wall restaurant instead of the safe corporate neon signed restaurant. I've traveled around the world without a tour group. And the wife who is sleeping next to me while I write this review? I met her online.

… (mer)

I really enjoyed this book and I think it portrays a much needed alternative to the alarmist parenting culture in our country. The tone was light, conversational, and often funny (I laughed out loud many a time). Mostly it was a great opportunity to consider many of the worries we have as parents and to decide which ones are valid, and which ones are less so - the ones that make us so needlessly paranoid that we are stifling the independence of our kids and not allowing them to take any risks at all. Great read - I recommend to everyone!… (mer)

From Amazon:

Most of us are having just the opposite: a nutcrackin’ nightmare of anger, hurt feelings, evil in-laws, and carbs beyond counting. A time when grudges grow and gasses pass. A time of maxed-out credit cards and a ham that the vegetarians are ready to hurl through the frosty window.

It’s that holidays that we celebrate here. Evil little brothers, pregnant tattooed sisters, horny dogs, and cross-dressing dads–they’re all here, ready to spread their Christmas cheer. So untangle the lights, spill some eggnog, and gather ‘round the place where happier families would have a piano. Now prepare to enjoy all the carols you love–with new lyrics you’ll love even more. “O Holy Fight,” “Silent Wife,” and “Grandpa Fell” (the ballad of Gramps and his bourbon, set to the tune of “Jingle Bells”). Yes, all your old favorites are here, with words that express, at last, the true sentiments of the season.

My Thoughts:

The songs in this book are really funny, but... I'm sure that many people will find it to be a welcome ice-breaker during family gatherings due to some profanity and other issues expressed in the lyrics. It's certainly not suitable for kids. In fact, I'm not sure I would share it with the adults in my family at Christmas or at any other time. While some people might like this kind of humor, it's disappointing to see the use of profanity in a book connected to Christmas. A gifted author can always find and choose unique words to achieve their goals; they don't have to resort to profanity to make a statement or get a laugh.… (mer)

Written by a woman dubbed "The America's Worst Mom", the author encourages parents to lighten up and raise our kids to have some of the same experiences we were alllowed to have as children, such as walking to school, chores and jobs, unsupervised outdoor play. She claims that our "helicopter parenting" is hurting our children by creating fear, and not allowing today's generation to learn how to cope with failure, anxiety and pressures of daily living. It is a light and often funny read, with many stories and statistics to back up her points.… (mer)