
external RSS news feed: Fathers & Families Fathers & Families Champion Speed Skater Embroiled in Custody Dispute Found Dead in Burning Car Stephen Moore was a world-class speed skater in his time. But according to this article, Moore was savagely beaten to death and stuffed into the trunk of his mother’s car (Star-Ledger, 8/26/10). The car was then driven around for a couple of days before being torched. As of now, Moore’s ex-wife Kathleen Dorsett and her ... Attorney: Best Interests of the Child Determination ‘Subjective, Inconsistent, Often Erroneous’ With this piece in Lisa Belkin’s Motherlode blog at the New York Times, I couldn’t agree more (New York Times, 8/26/10). It’s written by an attorney named Chris Gottlieb who defends parents in cases in which the child protection agency accuses them of abuse or neglect and wants to take their kids and put them in ... Canadian Greens Endorse Presumption of Equally Shared Parenting Canadian Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott has announced that the Green Party of Canada has officially endorsed making the presumption of equally shared parenting following separation or divorce the law of Canada. Here’s his press release which includes this: Over the weekend, the Green Party passed a policy motion declaring that "the Green Party of Canada will ... Australian Ombudsman: Child Support Agency Unfairly Targets Dads In Australia, the report by the acting Commonwealth Ombudsman into the policies and practices of the Child Support Agency is complete. The full report is not publicly available, but the abridged version is here. And here is an article about the report (Sydney Morning Herald, 8/26/10). Predictably the report is written in the blandest language imaginable, ... National Survey of Families and Households Omits Data on Household Work Done by Men In my piece on Alexa Aguilar’s article in the Chicago Tribune about Marc and Amy Vachon’s book and website promoting equal parenting, the writer, Alexa Aguilar, referred to figures on time spent compiled by the National Survey of Families and Households at the University of Wisconsin. Aguilar relied on the NSFH data for the proposition ... New Holstein Column Criticizes Influential MA. Senator for Opposing F & F’s Shared Parenting Bill Ned Holstein, MD, MS, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Fathers and Families, criticizes Massachusetts Senator Cynthia Creem, co-chair of the Joint Committee on The Judiciary, for her opposition to shared parenting bill in his new column Holstein: Senator Creem and Mr. Rudnick, Help our children (Newton Tab, 8/24/10). HB 1400, Fathers and Families’ most recent ... Article Lauds Equally Shared Parenting, but With Funky Figures and Twisted Logic Here’s yet another piece that lauds equality between mothers and fathers in childrearing, but uses some very questionable “facts” and figures to do it (Chicago Tribune, 8/20/10). The writer, Alexa Aguilar, wants to think of her marriage as non-traditional enough that both partners work and both do childcare. But she notices that, when push comes to ... British Airways Abandons Anti-Male Discrimination Policy Having paid off one high-profile litigant and facing protests by men’s and fathers’ rights organizations, British Airways has finally done what it should have been doing all along. It’s established gender-neutral policies about who can sit next to unaccompanied minors on international flights. Better late than never, I suppose, but BA shareholders might be wondering ... Woman Allegedly Faked Pregnancy to Get Child Support I’ve complained often about mothers who hide children from fathers. It happens for a number of reasons - because they think the dad doesn’t have a right to know about his child, because they want to place the child for adoption and they think the dad might “interfere,” because they’re married to another man, etc. ... |

external RSS news feed: FreeRangeKids Give Our Kids the Freedom We Had Stories Needed: How Do Kids Get To/From School in YOUR Town? (Wackiness Appreciated) Hi Readers! I’m about to write a column on how kids are getting to school — with a plea for more walking or biking, when possible — and for this I need stories of kids get to school in your neighborhood. For instance, I heard from my friend that her nieces are driven by GOLF ... Artifact from the Free-Range Past: A Circuit City Ad Hey Readers! Got this cool letter today from a guy named Mike: Hello Free-Rangers: Remember that Circuit City commercial in the ’90′s where the young boy buys a Walkman, and goes to Circuit City to get his price match? Here it is: There are a number of points that this commercial highlights for me that show ... Thinking The Worst First Hi Readers — Let’s take a vow: Let us vow to see men and women as decent until proven otherwise. Let’s vow to interpret their deeds as non-malicious, until proven otherwise. And let us vow not to assume the worst first. Here’s why: Dear Free-Range Kids: You’re always talking about how its a real shame ... Amazing Photos of Childhood from the Last Century Hi Readers — I loved scrolling through these old British photos, some heartwarming, some harrowing. Here at Free-Range Kids we talk a lot about how childhood has changed since when we were growing up. These show how childhood has changed since our parents (and maybe even grandparents?) were growing up. Particularly striking was the photo ... Outrage of the Week Reversed! Maybe All Men AREN’T Pervs, Airline Realizes Hey Readers! Good news! You’ll recall that British Airways had a rule that forbid any adult male from sitting next to any minor who was not his own child. Blogged about it here. The (unstated) reason for the rule? ALL MEN ARE PERVERTS…until proven otherwise. And since there’s really no way TO ”prove otherwise,” they ... What Could Happen to Your Kid in the Car While You Pay For Gas? Hi Readers — Over at Parentdish I wrote a column saying that sometimes you CAN leave your child in the car for a few minutes while you run in to pick up a pizza or pay for gas. Yes, crack the windows. Yes, take out the keys. Yes, always keep your purse or wallet in ... And While We’re on the Subject of Hero Kids (and Competence) — Hi Readers! Here’s another great story: 9 year old boy saves 2 year old brother who was face down in the family pool. The older brother used the CPR he’d just learned at school. First off, let’s hear it for teaching kids basic safety skills! Secondly, let’s remember that everyday dangers, like pools, are the things ... 3-year-old Saves Dad by Walking to Fire Station for Help (2 Blocks!) Hi Readers — Sometimes, when people say, “Why should I let my kid walk to school/the library/the store? There’s almost no upside and the downside is just too dangerous!” all we can do is say, “No it’s not” — an argument that doesn’t get us very far. Next time, after viewing this great story about ... Happy About a Lost Kid Hi Readers! This nice note just in: Dear Free-Range Kids: I couldn’t be happier! Tonight my 7-year-old daughter got lost in our neighborhood while riding her bike. She had two out-of-town cousins with her, and they wandered about one block further than she recognized (we’re new to the neighborhood). And then she did a very ... |