Over the past several decades, children have gone from being released into the neighborhood to play by trusting parents who need a breather, to being seriously coddled and obsessively watched over. We have to ask ourselves: how much of this is necessary? And how much is due to hyper-irrational fears resultant from increased hype in the media? Do the real and immeasurable risks outweigh the value of a child's developing sense of autonomy, capability, and parents' sanity?

In 2008, one mother, New York City resident Lenore Skenazy, horrified and enraged the nation - but also sparked a valuable discussion - when she allowed her 9-year-old to ride the subway alone, and then had the audacity to write about it in her column in The New York Sun. Skenazy has since penned the book "Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry," which examines the philosophic questions surrounding "good" and "bad" parenting. On Tuesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m., Skenazy will speak about her book at the Jewish Community Center's Hart Theatre (1200 Edgewood Ave.) as part of the JCC's Lane Dworkin Jewish Book Festival. Tickets cost $8-$10; for more information, call 461-2000, or visit rjbf.org.