You Might Get Hurt!

One of the interesting turns that parenting has taken over the past generation is the level to which parental protectiveness has risen. One of the things that seems to be driving this is the idea that children being injured is a sign of lax or unloving parents. This, in turn has lead to a series of minor frenzies, as (over?) zealous parents try to sanitize the planet of anything that may be harmful to their children.

For instance, because of the rise in the number of children who are allergic to nuts (and legumes) of one sort or another, peanut butter in grade schools is practically a hanging offense. And now Heely's, that bizarre childhood craze of fat-soled shoes with little wheels in them, is coming under the microscope.

Not to say that parents shouldn't take precautions, when their children are concerned. But sometimes, when we look back on the strings of (by modern standards) near-fatal disasters that made up our own childhoods (third-graders and a fascination with military hardware can be an, ahem, volatile mixture), you have to wonder if children today aren't missing out on some of the fun that everyone tells us is so important.