I’m in pre-trip mode tonight – we’ll be on the road around 6:30am tomorrow, so time is short.

Not to worry.   Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com spent the last 10 days in Bangladesh with Christy Turlington promoting Christy’s documentary “No Woman No Cry” about the lack of basic pre-natal and birthing care for women in many places in the world.   Here’s the link to Heather’s first post since her return:  http://www.dooce.com/2011/06/27/back-bangladesh-one-many    which you’ll need to copy and paste into your browser.  (I also recommend you look at her recent daily photos.)

And then, from Lenore Skenazy, who posted a couple of days ago about a woman who had been reported to child protective services after her toddler got out of the house while she was napping, there was this response from one of Lenore’s readers today:

“By SKL:  I am just saying, and not to anyone in particular, that the mindset ‘kid did ______, need to buy a safety product’ is becoming the kneejerk reaction, and it concerns me.

When this exact sort of thing happened decades ago, the parents’ first thought was usually, “How do I teach her better?”  It was even common practice for all preschoolers to be taught how to find their way home safely, just in case.

What I’m saying is, before, safety solutions were child development solutions.  And now, safety solutions are child restraint solutions.  Anyone else see why this is troubling?

(I’m not talking about a precociously mobile infant who is really too young to learn to choose well.  And yes, I support a mom’s right to pee in peace, even if that means having baby gates for a while.)

Lenore here again: Yes, yes! I see how we have moved from “teach” to “buy” and/or “restrain” in many parenting situations. In fact, “buy those door handle thingies” was my solution, too. Thanks for this reality check: Why DO we automatically think of new things to BUY or activities to CURTAIL every time we parents worry for our kids? — L”

If you want to read more, click on the link to Free Range Kids in my blogroll.

Writing next from Indiana.   Till then!