Smarties, mark your calendars! This Saturday, April 21st, Lenore Skenazy will speak in Charlotte at Shalom Park. In 2008, Lenore was dubbed America’s Worst Mom by the media for letting her 9-year-old ride the subway alone. Her story became the parenting scandal of the year and led to her anti-helicopter parenting movement: Free Range Kids. I’m a fan.
Most of you will leave with deep relief at the knowledge that being safe and being independent are not mutually exclusive options for your kids. Her story is fantastic (and told with sharp humor) but it’s not just her opinion. Lenore comes with years of research and some mind-blowing statistics to help you decide when you should worry and when you should just let it go.
Enough of saying “I wish I could let my son ride his bike to school/explore the woods/walk to her friends, but it’s a different world than when we were kids.” It’s really not…except that it’s safer. Learn why keeping your kids cocooned actually puts them at greater risk than giving them guided independence.
Plan to stay for lunch, too. After her presentation, I will join Lenore and Wendy Petricoff for a lunch-time Q & A where we will answer your questions about how to keep your kids safe without risking your peace of mind or their sense of accomplishment.
Keynote: Lenore Skenazy
When: April 21st 10:00 – 12:00
Where: Sam Lerner Center inside Shalom Park
Free Admission
Lunch & Learn Q&A
Featuring: Lenore Skenazy of Free Range Kids, Wendy Petricoff of Charlotte Parenting Solutions and Michelle Icard of Michelle in the Middle
When: 12:30 – 2:00
Where: Weinberg Senior Center inside Shalom Park
Cost: $25 including lunch
Michelle Icard is our resident middle school expert. Please visit her blog at www.MichelleintheMiddle.com and like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/middleschoolrelief
