Here is a little science fiction story…

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/is-there-any-way-to-lure-kids-back-outside/

…”We need ideas that are fun and exciting, like your ideas, with just one little detail changed: they need to meet modern standards of liability and insurance. That means no kids in the woods, in town, on the water, or anywhere else where they are not closely supervised by adults at all times.”

Free Range Kids will be oddballs until society stops equating “independence” with “liability”  (and, often, “doom.”).

People, we HAVE to let our children roam.  We are severely stifling their childhoods, independence, education, experiences, and freedoms. 

Hats off Lenore for yet another great piece!