Let Them Grow: Breaking the Habit of Overparenting with Lenore Skenazy [90]
Lenore Skenazy, author of Free-Range Kids and president of the nonprofit Let Grow, joins me to talk about raising resilient, capable kids in a culture that often confuses supervision with safety. You’ll hear the now-famous subway story that started it all and discover why giving our kids more independence isn't risky—it's necessary.
We talk about the fears that hold us back as parents, what happens when we overprotect, and why letting our kids take small risks builds confidence, self-esteem, and real-world skills. Lenore shares practical ideas from Let Grow’s free tools and programs , plus easy ways to push back against modern parenting pressure—especially with summer approaching.
Key Takeaways:
- The now-famous story of Lenore letting her 9-year-old ride the NYC subway alone—and how that moment sparked the Free-Range Kids movement.
- Why treating kids as fragile actually makes them fragile.
- How independence builds resilience, confidence, and emotional strength.
- The importance of stepping back—literally—to allow kids to solve problems and grow.
- Why over-scheduling and adult-led activities are crowding out opportunities for real learning.
- The power of unstructured, mixed-age play—and why kids need boredom and social problem-solving.
- A fresh take on safety: teaching kids how to respond to real-world threats, not avoid the world.
- Why tracking our kids can backfire and increase anxiety—for both them and us.
- How parents can use Let Grow’s Independence Kit and Play Clubs to build freedom in small, manageable steps.
- Creative solutions like “Friendship Clubs” and “Free Fridays” to build community-led independence, even in urban settings.
- How schools and parents can work together to make independence normal again.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
