04/28/2026
Yes, times have changed. But, “while improving the safety and structure of childhood, in filling every hour, in never letting children be bored or unsupervised or responsible for navigating their own social world, what have we taken away?” What can parents do to provide free play, allow decision making, and creative problem solving? We want to hear from you!
My mother grew up in rural Australia in the seventies. She has told me stories about summers that sound, to modern ears, almost implausibly free. Out after breakfast, back for dinner. No phone. No schedule. No adult tracking her movements. Just a neighborhood of kids, a creek, a few square kilometer...