ArcaMax

With Mother's Day upon us like a tray of eggs and coffee accidentally spilled on the blanket, it is time to ask the equally burning question: What do moms want?

The answer: a little less.

A little less perfection. A little less worry. A little less time in the car. We want a way of parenting that is not quite so overwrought.

That's a tall ...Read more

You may recall the tragedy that happened almost nine years ago when a toddler got away from his mom at the Cincinnati Zoo and somehow fell into the gorilla enclosure. Fearing the gorilla could harm the child, and knowing that tranquilizers do not take effect immediately, the zoo made the difficult decision to kill the gorilla.

And then a good ...Read more

Would you leave your sleeping child in a hotel room with a baby monitor and go eat at a nearby restaurant?

That's the question posed by Stephanie Murray in a wide-ranging Slate piece. Murray was inspired by two things: one, the viral mob attacking parenting influencers Matt and Abby Howard for leaving their babies in their cruise ship cabin ...Read more

A few weeks ago, Adam Washington was tossing a football with his son, 14, at a park in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Not too far away -- but far enough to avoid being bonked by a ball -- his wife was pushing their toddler in the swings.

And then two Lower Merion Township Police Department cop cars pulled up.

"I said to my wife, 'I think they're going...Read more

Just a few months after Georgia mom Brittany Patterson was arrested for the crime of not knowing that her then-10-year-old son had walked to the store on his own, her state has passed a Reasonable Childhood Independence law, making it the ninth state to do so. It now goes to the governor for signing.

The bill clarifies that "neglect" is only ...Read more

No more free play!

That's the order at Bourke Street Public School in New South Wales, Australia. The reason? When kids were organizing their own games of soccer and basketball, the games were "not inclusive, fair or fun for everyone."

So reports Seven News in Sydney. Now, instead of spontaneous ball games, says reporter Taylor Aiken, the ...Read more

The thing about traveling abroad is that suddenly the way you do everyday things turns out not to be the way everyone else does those things, and the mind is blown. Or at least opened a smidge.

So allow me, if you will, to describe a few things that folks in Buenos Aires do differently from us in the States. Starting with ... coffee breaks.

...Read more

Not that I feel like hanging out in 21-degree weather with 45 mph winds -- thank you very much, February -- but if I did, I would not be welcome at many of my local playgrounds. As the New York City Parks Department website informs folks like me, with no young kids:

"At many playgrounds, adults are not allowed except when accompanying a child...Read more

Kids need some unsupervised time. Sure, it depends on their age, interests and neighborhood, but I am pretty constantly urging nervous parents to get a grip and let their kids walk to school, play outside and go to the store.

But in truth, it is not only anxiety thwarting parents. There are other forces arrayed against them: the car-centric ...Read more

Kids have the right to some independence, and parents have the right to give it to them -- without getting investigated for neglect!

That's why I'm thrilled that legislators in five states are hoping to pass "Reasonable Childhood Independence" laws this year. And another five states may follow suit.

Bipartisan sponsors, who often disagree on...Read more