When Lenore Skenazy’s son was nine, he asked her repeatedly if she would let him have a solo adventure in their hometown of New York City. Her son had a specific plan for this adventure: he wanted her to take him somewhere new in the city and then let him find his own way home. Lenore took the leap of faith, and when her son burst into their apartment later, he was practically “levitating with pride and joy” at what he had accomplished.
Lenore then wrote an article in the New York Sun called “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone” — and a media firestorm ensued. We’ll let Lenore share more about that particular time, but she realized then how radical and important an idea it was for modern parents to “let go.”
In 2017, Jonathan Haidt, co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind reached out to Lenore with two others, all of whom shared concerns about the increasing fragility they’re seeing in young people in America, and the poor outcomes that follow. They went on to launch Let Grow, a non-profit organization that promotes childhood independence.
Lenore’s message is that parents can sometimes become compulsive about protecting children from every possible danger, but blind to the trade-offs: decreased independence, resilience, social skills, and creativity, and increased anxiety and depression.
But this message also has broader implications for our lives and our faith: while we often tend to try to micromanage everything with the mistaken belief that we can prevent anything bad from happening, deep faith can help us see that there’s Something Bigger going on — and we don’t always need to be in control.
We found Lenore to be delightful—she’s sharp, funny, and has profoundly important things to say for anyone interested in helping our next generations to be resilient and happy. We really hope you enjoy this conversation with Lenore Skenazy.
———
Subscribe to Wayfare here: wayfaremagazine.org
216. Big Stories, Little Saints — A Conversation with Sarah and Josh Sabey
215. Finding the Still Point in Tension — John Kesler and Thomas McConkie
214. Gathering All Safely In — A Conversation with Liz and Jordon Sharp
213. Leading Deseret Book — A Conversation with Laurel Day
212. Is God Disappointed in Me? — A Conversation with Kurt Francom
211. Come As You Are — A Conversation with Jen and Sam Norton
210. The Gift of Dissonance — A Conversation with Patrick Mason
209. What's So Good About Good Friday? — A Conversation with Eric Huntsman
208. Curious Mind, Open Heart — A Conversation with Bill Turnbull and Kathy Clayton
207. Feeling Separated? So did Jesus. — A Conversation with Kerry Muhlestein
206. Tragedy in the Holy Land: What Can We Do? — A Conversation with Chad Ford
205. Tough Love from the Book of Mormon — A Conversation with Grant Hardy
Proclaim Peace: A New Podcast by Faith Matters and Mormon Women for Ethical Government
203. Love is a Law, not a Reward — Adam Miller at Restore
202. The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God — A Conversation with Justin Brierley
201. The Counter-Culture of Commitment — A Conversation with Pete Davis
200. The Awakened Brain — Lisa Miller at Restore
199. Integrity and Institutions — A Conversation with George Handley on Lowell Bennion
198. Seven Gospels — A Conversation with Adam Miller and Rosalynde Welch
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Cast The Word
Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT
The Kingdom Power Fellowship Podcast
The Bible Recap
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)