[Yorkie]

Helicopter parenting is a horrible modern movement that I cannot stand but I have to confess to being part of the problem. My middle class neighborhood is full of kids but you rarely see them. All activities appear to be organized and scheduled with adult supervision. You rarely see kids in the park hanging around like we used to back in the day. I have three kids (9-17) and they just don't seem to have the sense of adventure that we did and I think his Mom and I are part to blame. You get sucked into mirroring the behavior of the "safest" parent. You think you could kick the kids out of the house and have them go and find something to do but the other parents won't let their kids out of their sight so there is nobody to cause mischief with. The media does not help with sensationalized stories about kidnapping and such but I think its such a shame that we are raising a generation of softies. These kids will have no memories of punch ups with kids from other neighborhoods or riding their bikes off into the woods for hours and hours. Its a shame.