Crib bumpers are now considered nitroglycerin. When my oldest grandson was in the womb my wife asked our daughter if she wanted to choose the fabric for the bumpers. My daughter looked stricken. Who knew?
On the cosseting of our independent school students:
Yes, every parent (myself included) works to protect their children from every risk, consequence, failure etc. We do so at their peril. And the results- for students in the most elite colleges - are astounding. Nationwide, 20% of college students report taking psychotropic drugs to treat anxiety or depression. In the elite colleges ( private institutions that accept less than 25% of their applicant pool) the percentage is much higher. Some of this could be social contagion but it is worth our concern that the most " protected" youth in America cannot get through college without medication.
I had some significant challenges in my youth- and lots of insecurity. Never thought I would ever be grateful for that hardship. Turns out those experiences were the best protection for navigating the curveballs of adult life. Of course, no parent would design artificial hardship to toughen up their kids.
A happy medium would begin by explaining to young people the difference between a crisis and a disappointment.
Jim, advice from one grandfather to another:
Crib bumpers are now considered nitroglycerin. When my oldest grandson was in the womb my wife asked our daughter if she wanted to choose the fabric for the bumpers. My daughter looked stricken. Who knew?
On the cosseting of our independent school students:
Yes, every parent (myself included) works to protect their children from every risk, consequence, failure etc. We do so at their peril. And the results- for students in the most elite colleges - are astounding. Nationwide, 20% of college students report taking psychotropic drugs to treat anxiety or depression. In the elite colleges ( private institutions that accept less than 25% of their applicant pool) the percentage is much higher. Some of this could be social contagion but it is worth our concern that the most " protected" youth in America cannot get through college without medication.
I had some significant challenges in my youth- and lots of insecurity. Never thought I would ever be grateful for that hardship. Turns out those experiences were the best protection for navigating the curveballs of adult life. Of course, no parent would design artificial hardship to toughen up their kids.
A happy medium would begin by explaining to young people the difference between a crisis and a disappointment.
Thanks, Doug. You can see I've been out of the baby business for a long time. I hear you on the rest of it.