Jesse Ventura Meets the "World’s Worst Mom"

On this week’s Off the Grid, I sit down with the host of World’s Worst Mom, Lenore Skenazy to discuss the free-range parenting movement and how we are depriving our children of memorable experiences by keeping them under constant watch.

The thing is Jesse, is that crazy seems to be more rampant, perhaps due to environmental poisoning or just due to some yet undiscovered reason. So, supervising and protecting our children and ourselves should be a concern. Better to be safe than sorry, I always say.

a reply to: InTheLight

But how will children ever learn to recognize danger if they never have any experience of it?

When I was a kid ALL children were free range, and if a danger did present itself then all kids instantly knew about it because they would tell each other.

a reply to: VoidHawk

I think Jesse is advocating for not being helicopter parents.

Unless of course your name is Igor Sikorsky.

a reply to: VoidHawk

I grew up with disconnected parents, so my streetwise friend counselled me, to not only protect me but to bring me into reality.

My dad never bought me the damn fruit snacks I wanted. Now I buy them by the skid. He let me stay out after dark and let me learn from my own mistakes, so I don't buy my kids fruit snacks. Make sense? Danger wasn't much different in 1987, but in '87 there wasn't a facebook group for everything. I grew up 1/2 mile from where Jeffrey D ate people, after he got caught we had "meetings at school" where they taught us not to get into cars. Aside from that? We learned quickly the "weird" people, and I don't think there was less weirdos back in the day.

My 2 cents.


a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Mama, don't let your baby grow up to be a sissy.
The stories I could tell.

originally posted by: skunkape23
Mama, don't let your baby grow up to be a sissy.
The stories I could tell.

Mama, I'm going out tonight, can I borrow your gun?

originally posted by: InTheLight

originally posted by: skunkape23
Mama, don't let your baby grow up to be a sissy.
The stories I could tell.

Mama, I'm going out tonight, can I borrow your gun?

Wow you're really into the - fear everything!

I think the biggest danger to kids these days is the threat to their impressionable minds!

Percentage wise crime is way down, most of the loonies are doped up to their eyeballs on meds, kiddy fidlers are on registers, police shoot the crazies, roaming dogs are removed, bullying is way down, friggin cameras EVERWHERE!
Yep, sure is dangerous out there.

a reply to: JesseVentura

Here is a message for all statutory authorities regarding my children.

BACK THE F#%K OFF.

The problem with society these days is not allowing our kids to learn, the hard way, that life is full of pluses and minuses. Now, I discipline my kids old school - respect your elders or cop a boot up the ass - and guess what - my children are the envy of other parents because of my philosophy of FEAR and REPETITION - the carrot and the stick.

My family is not a democracy - it is a fascist regime - and i'm the bastard in charge.

I remember grabbing my BMX at 8.00am in the morning and not returning until after dark. My parents were not neglectful.

Free range forever...............or prison planet

NLBS #46 The Madness of Helicopter parents versus free range parents

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Why do our young have to learn by trial and error (which can be lethal; physically, emotionally and/or psychologically), let's get education up to par in the household and schools.

Most kids do little else but play Minecraft. The moms don't even need a babysitter. All the kids do is develop autism and OCD. Most are agoraphobic and can't even play outside any more. And they are clinically obese.

originally posted by: InTheLight
a reply to: Sublimecraft

Why do our young have to learn by trial and error

I have to ask, do you have any children?
Children by design, go through stages where they will not be told anything! Many parents make the mistake of thinking there is something wrong with their child and the next thing you know that poor child is on meds!

Defiance is how they learn their boundaries, and nothing teaches better than experience of the consequences!

originally posted by: Antidisestablishment
Most kids do little else but play Minecraft. The moms don't even need a babysitter. All the kids do is develop autism and OCD. Most are agoraphobic and can't even play outside any more. And they are clinically obese.

Ah! you must be talking about the kids who grew up being fed meds and sheltered from reality. You see, thats the problem with not letting kids have their freedom.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: InTheLight
a reply to: Sublimecraft

Why do our young have to learn by trial and error

I have to ask, do you have any children?
Children by design, go through stages where they will not be told anything! Many parents make the mistake of thinking there is something wrong with their child and the next thing you know that poor child is on meds!

Defiance is how they learn their boundaries, and nothing teaches better than experience of the consequences!

Yes. I have children and I even if it appears they are not listening, they are.

Interesting subject.

Today I’m walking during work in a school and see a strange thing.

I had to take a good look at children being walked around in school with felt chains on their wrists!

Schools often resemble jails with teachers walking the kids around as if a military or prison gang.

So Jesse, as often he does, makes a good point.

Also in these schools all these tests all year is pretty stupid you ask me.

Schools seem to teach and impress kids with the opposite of what is freedom


Their regimented like automatons and this is

a reply to: VoidHawk

I tried to get my daughter to roam freely. However, she just wanted to play Minecraft. I've asked my daughter to create art and music. She's done it just because I've requested. The results amaze me, but she says she's just not interested. Now, she'd rather play Skyrim or watch anime. At least she and her friends create anime stories, but that's not saying much. I can find no metaphorical content in their or commercial anime. It's nonsense. At least she gets out to go to her Anime Club meetings at the library.

I blame postmodernism.

I had my fair share of indoor activities when I was a child. They were of the creative type. However, I would be out at odd hours exploring as well.

The public consciousness has changed since we were children. There has also been an exceptional increase in mind-altering drugs from the corporations all the way down to the street level. This means, that there are far more crazy people roaming the streets than when we were young living on a farm. That's just scratching the surface of the various types of nutbags out there now. It would be better to be worried and not regret it later, than to play poker with your child's life and realize that you outplayed your hand.

originally posted by: DuckforcoveR
My dad never bought me the damn fruit snacks I wanted. Now I buy them by the skid.
a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I was never allowed to have those sugary cereals as a kid...you know, the ones in the fun looking boxes. They were "to sugary" and "to expensive".

Well, damnit I'm an adult now.

I ordered 10lbs of Lucky Charms marshmallows (just the marshmallows) a while back. Now I can have the best part of the cereal anytime I want.

I actually want to do a thread about this...

We're being force-fed a diet of fear and greed, and it has infected our American culture to such a degree that we micromanage our children's lives.

You hate being micromanaged at your job, why would you do that to your child?

I think part of it is that we feel so powerless, listless, despondent, jaded, disenfranchised, dis-empowered and beaten down by the cultural memes, economy, Corporatocracy, and the failure of a better future emerging.

We feel like this, yet at home when around our children we have power -- we have control, we are in charge of something. And because we're brainwashed to believe the world is such a dangerous and hellish place, we fanatically hover and smother our children. We don't allow our children to learn critical thinking skills, and instead solve problems for them.

We suffer hard economic times, make tough decisions, watch the world appearing to "burn" and feel we need to somehow "protect" our children from anything and everything that we've imagined is out there. "Here be dragons" might as well grace anyplace outside our front doors these days.

This has lead to insane levels of anti-communal behavior, selfishness, pettiness, and egoism. We're literally withdrawing into ourselves and our children because these are the only things left we feel we can have influence over.

And is it any wonder we have this new "entitlement generation"? I heard a joke the other day and it rang a little too true:

"My mom has the most high-tech washing machine. I just put the clothes in, and somehow it folds them and puts them on my bed, it's incredible!"

I was AMAZED at how many people in their 20's still have no idea how to do their own laundry. And what's really scary? It's only getting worse.