364: Why Kids Are More Anxious Today and How to Fix It | Lenore Skenazy

Be Well by Kelly Leveque

Kelly Leveque

Education, Nutrition, Alternative Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ever wonder if all the hovering, scheduling, and “keeping kids safe” is actually making them more anxious? In this episode, I sit down with Lenore Skenazy, founder of Let Grow and author of Free Range Kids, to explore how giving kids independence, freedom, and trust can help them thrive.

We cover Free Play Fridays, friendship clubs, and simple everyday strategies to build competence, confidence, and that all-important internal locus of control. Lenore shares real stories, expert insights, and practical tips that you can start using today to help your children become capable, confident, and joyful…all while easing your own parental stress.

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Topics Discussed:

→ How can giving kids independence reduce childhood anxiety?

→ What is the Let Grow approach to free-range parenting?

→ How do Free Play Fridays and friendship clubs help kids thrive?

→ Why is the internal locus of control so important for children?

→ How can parents build confidence without hovering or over-scheduling?

Transcript

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0:00.0	the only thing that changes parents is what also changes kids which is actually letting them go
0:06.3	before you're ready because you're being told you have to and it's a collective action and then
0:13.2	having the reward come afterwards which is look at my kid you're listening to be well by
0:20.8	kelly leveck.
0:24.1	After Lenora Skenezy's newspaper column, why I let my nine-year-old ride the subway alone
0:29.4	landed her on the Today Show, The Daily Show, Good Morning America, Dr. Phil, The View, Fox News, and NPR.
0:35.4	You get the idea.
0:36.6	She wrote the book, Free Range Kids,
0:39.3	which grew into the free range kids movement. Now she is the president of Let Grow, the national
0:44.3	nonprofit she co-founded with three others, including Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation.
0:50.7	Their mission, making it easy, normal and legal, to give kids back some old-fashioned independence.
0:57.2	Lenore says our kids are smarter, safer, and stronger than our culture even gives them credit for.
1:02.5	She has lectured everywhere from Microsoft to DreamWorks, Harvard Medical School, to the Bulgarian Happiness Festival.
1:08.7	It is such a pleasure to welcome Lenore, the author of Free Range Kids, and Let Grow, to the Bulgarian Happiness Festival. It is such a pleasure to welcome Lenore, the author of
1:12.0	Free Range Kids, and Let Grow to the podcast. She has some good old-fashioned advice for us parents
1:18.5	looking to give our kids some independence. My new amino acid supplements come in flavorless
1:25.2	and lemon water and they're flying off the shelves and here's why.
1:28.3	I have meticulously sourced these vegan fermented essential amino acids from Japan.
1:33.3	I am so proud of this being made the be well way with maximum quality and minimum ingredients.
1:41.3	My flavorless is simply those vegan fermented essential amino acids from Japan.
1:46.2	Our lemon water contains minimal ingredients of only organic lemon powder, organic citric acid, and organic
1:54.9	monk fruit. No natural flavors, no artificial flavors, no artificial sweeteners, no emulsifiers, no additives.
	...

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