Free Range Children.  Via on Nov 1, 2013  There’s a choice: to
insulate one’s offspring for the longest possible time to keep
them safe, or to let life unfold, running behind the two-wheeler
with a hand ready for a fall, clinging to neither bike nor
child.  My 16-year-old son has just left for school with an
energy drink and a pocket full of Halloween candy for breakfast.
He also has a TV in his bedroom, and does not willingly read
books. He frequently trades on Craig’s list, where he has gotten
himself a dilapidated BMW and a series of cell phones. He
listens to music with lyrics that would send his grandfather
into apoplexy.  He grew up in a neighborhood of undergraduate
student renters, and as a little boy, used to ride his motorized
Jeep around, meeting and greeting, and often being invited in
for some ice cream or a little Nintendo. We always knew where he
was, and we received apologies for everything from the bong on
the coffee table to treats given at dinner time. His student
friends bought him Christm