Mark KennedyWhen I was growing up, being an over-protective parent was considered a no-no. So-called “sheltered” kids were thought to be ill-prepared for a life filled with hard knocks.
Being “over-protective,” in mid-century parlance, usually meant that parents would not let their kids do something physically demanding (such as contact sports) or emotionally risky (such as adolescent dating).
I haven’t heard the term “over-protective parents” used in decades, which makes me think that exposing children to measured risks for the sake of straightening their spines is no longer considered a virtue. The “sticks and stones” ethos seems to have evaporated.
I’m guilty, too. Just the other day, as I was watching the network news, I felt an urgent impulse to hustle my 9-year-old son out of the room. Two stories sent me into a mild panic.
One was a report about two police officers in Louisiana who have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the shooting of a 6-year-old boy. The child was killed when the police shot at an SUV driven by the child’s unarmed father after a high-speed pursuit.