Free-Range Kids

I just finished reading the book, Free-Range Kids, by Lenore Skenazy, a NYC mom who was given grief for allowing her 9-yr-old to ride the NYC subway alone. It's a wonderful book that has really helped me to put parental concerns and fear in perspective, and to realize that most of today's parental fears are not based on fact (crimes against children are at the same level they were in the early 1970s), but on media hype and collective hysteria. In light of this book, and its well-documented research- I have vowed to be less anxious and more encouraging of my kids' independence.