Category Archives: parenting

Online preschool: another bad education idea that is so American

Posted on June 15, 2019 by

We want our kids to be competitive in America, and to do that we keep turning to technology. It was one of the biggest differences I noticed between American and German education systems. Despite persistent budget problems and the constant … Continue reading →

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Do Parents Matter? Recommended reading for raising free kids

Posted on March 18, 2019 by

Fair warning: this book may shake any strong convictions you have about the right way to parent. The LeVines have studied parenting practices in cultures all over the world. One of my favorite examples is the Nso people of Cameroon … Continue reading →

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Mommy Laid an Egg! recommended reading for raising free kids

Posted on March 11, 2019 by

Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole is a silly book that tells kids the basic facts of life, and yes, it includes some ridiculous illustrations. When my daughter was in first grade, her teacher read this book to her … Continue reading →

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Want to change our overparenting culture? Read Free Range Kids and Join Let Grow

Posted on February 11, 2019 by

This book is serious fun.  Serious because no other book – and arguably no other personality – has done more to help loosen the lock-hold helicopter parenting has on our kids than Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy. Fun because … Continue reading →

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FREE TO LEARN: Recommended reading for raising free kids

Posted on February 4, 2019 by

An evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray argues that human children, like all mammals, learn best through play – and by play, Gray means without adult involvement. If adults are directing, coaching, even observing, it isn’t real play. Gray shows how our … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year! The ACHTUNG BABY paperback is out today!

Posted on December 31, 2018 by

  * The first New Year’s Eve in Berlin, I thought the Germans were crazy. Everyone was shooting off fireworks. Not just tourists but shopkeepers and retirees, whole families with little kids setting off some pretty serious explosives for the … Continue reading →

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Sky playground

Posted on July 30, 2018 by

This playground on top of a building in Copenhagen is meant to get both adults and kids moving. Continue reading →

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