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I haven't run up against any of these 'helicopter parents' but I have heard of them. I trust that they do exist, though. Most of the parents I have known are pretty normal when it comes to parenting. But I'd have to say that I've known more parents on the slightly neglectful side than the overbearing side.
My daughter has a cell phone (she is 10) but we don't have a land line phone and she is home alone fairly often now since I went back to school. She also carries it with her when she goes out to play so that she can check in periodically to let me know where she is.
I like that story about the 10-year-old on the train. I think allowing freedom like this would depend completely on the maturity level of the child, though, and it's much more important for parents to be attuned to where their children are cognitively and emotionally so that they can make the right decisions for their child. I think if more parents paid attention to the development of their own children rather than reading books or listening to neighbors they would be making better choices.
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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce
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