I knew this book would challenge me, but I didn't know how much. I'm talking about the book Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy. She's the mom who let her 9 year old ride the New York subway by himself a few years ago and took a lot of flack for it. I vaguely remember the story from the news.
Now, right up front, I do not agree with everything that is in the book, but it was so good for me to read. I am a worrier by nature and being a mom is bringing it out even more. The first night we put Hudson in the crib in his room, I cried (a lot) and made sure my husband had closed and locked all the windows in his room and the living room. So I know that I'm in for lots more worry and tears as Hudson grows up, especially if he's anything like his dad.
I want Hudson to have the type of childhood where he has friends in the neighborhood and I feel comfortable with him going to play with them. I want him to walk to school by himself someday (I did and amazingly I never got lost!)
Skenazy's book helped me realize that a great number of my fears (abduction) are not really founded in facts. Most kids are taken by a relative and your child has a more likely chance of dying in a car crash than being picked up by a stranger and killed. I know there are horrible stories out there, but the media really plays them up. I hope this book has helped me become less neurotic as I raise my kid.
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