Today our community had a scare at my youngest son's elementary school. Code Red level, lock down, an intruder on campus who may have been attempting to abduct a beautiful 9 year old girl as she ventured from restroom to classroom. As the bell rang and parents gathered to collect their children the news spread like wild fire. The information was vague. No one knew the entire story or precise details but the response was immediate, visceral and felt by every parent ... rush your kids home, lock the door and hide them in the closet.
All three of our children attended a preschool co-op in Palo Alto. Over the past 40 years they have principally followed a concept that in today terms is referred to as "Free Range Kids". This current movement of "Free Range Kids" was started in New York City by author and mother Lenore Skenazy. http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/. Her general belief is that it is 100% possible for moms and dads to keep their kids safe without becoming helicopter parents. I believe in her methods wholeheartedly. Parenting by way of "Free Range Kids" means teaching your children to make smart choices, letting them have small freedoms (age appropriate) that build over time to varying levels of independence. It is an out-of-date teaching method; that children should learn to survive on their own ... so they aren't living with you when they're 30.
As Evan ran to greet me I struggled against fear. I texted a few friends to keep them updated and then I took my kindergartener home. We greeted our dog and left the front door wide open. I fed him lunch, took a deep breath and we headed to the front yard. I pulled weeds and attacked an awful bush of overgrown geraniums. He chased our cat and picked dandelions. As I uprooted a plant we discovered a salamander and named him Harold. As he dropped Harold into a glass jar with a pile of dirt, grass and flowers, we weighed keeping him in the jar forever versus letting him run free in our yard. It was a wonderful poignant metaphor.
In the distance I heard the wailing of a siren and my chest began to tighten. It is rare to hear a siren in our neighborhood. But we did not retreat, we held firm and I began to relax. All was well on Leona Lane. That is until I realized the middle school had been out for 10 minutes and my 6th grader hadn't rolled up on his bike. I reached in my pocket and on the second ring he answered. The school was implementing a buddy system and they had decided to stop by the elementary school to see if the campus was closed by police. Kids. In the realm of "Free Range Kids", cell phones are a no-no. They restrict teachable lessons. Yeah. I'm not ready for my 11 year old to be 100% free range ... just yet.
