Originally Posted by
Dr. Who
That actually seems very plausible. Children in the last, perhaps more than 10 years, have all of the freedom of modern pets, something that animal psychologists suggest keeps our pets immature for life. I have been saying for years that on a relative basis there are no more pedophiles per capita than there ever were. You simply teach your children to be suspicious of any adult who is neither a relative or close neighbor who trying to be excessively familiar and trying to give them things, whether it be candy, a toy or a ride. Children will not learn how to deal with adversity or danger unless they experience it and learn to identify it. They will also not understand the difference between the theory of their ideas and the practical ramifications if they never have the opportunity to test them. Inasmuch as real life doesn't always offer a soft place to land, kids need to learn how to identify and avoid pitfalls and that doesn't happen when they are wrapped in cotton wool and protected from their own ill-considered behavior. Unfortunately, while parents have the best of intentions, they are crippling their children socially and they may also be inhibiting their creativity. Human beings have not advanced because they lived in the Garden of Eden, but because they didn't.