I firmly agree with this article by Christine Gross-Loh.  As Americans most of us are far too over protective of our children and I think it is doing them a disservice.  Children need to be allowed the freedom to experience the world relatively untethered.  If you’re constantly following your child around making sure they don’t fall down and get hurt, how will they ever learn to be respect the laws of nature?  They’ll keep flinging themselves down stairs and off of furniture  because they have been taught that you will always catch them, they aren’t learning that their actions have consequences.  They aren’t learning to be cautious.  I can remember my dad teaching me to use a kitchen knife when I was 4 or 5 years old.  A few years ago I asked my parents how they could be so relaxed about my brothers and I running around the jungle wielding machetes, especially since they had no idea where we were at any given moment.  My dad replied that they knew we viewed the machetes as tools and not weapons.  We respected the tool and weren’t reckless with it.

I want to channel that little nugget of parenting wisdom.  I really hope I can give my own children a childhood as amazing as the one my parents gave me. This article only confirms my assertion at the importance of having a global vision.

So read this.