Overprotective Parents need to stay away from their kids.

You can't swing a dead cat - or a baby seal, without hitting an overly protective parent and their fragile offspring. These are the parents who insisted on the rubber safety surface at the playground so little Ashley does not get a skinned knee. The people who insist that little Justin wears a bike helmet when he's cruising the sidewalk in their gated community. I ask you - What pray tell is a small piece of plastic strapped to little Justin's noggin going to do, when the SUV driven by a drunk and very distraught day trader, swerves across the road into his path? But I digress...

Kids and people, learn and grow through trial and error. You only had to lick the stove element once - ok maybe twice, to see that it really would burn you. Part of learning to ride a bike was falling off - swearing under your breath - and getting back on the bike. It was only after your knees and elbows where bruised, bloody and resembling ground beef that you finally where able to master that whole balance thing. Your bloodied elbows where signs to everyone that you overcame the obstacles and conquered that damn two wheeled monster - the bicycle.



Kids today are not allowed to get skinned knees - see previous example about cushioned safety surfaces - there are no "losers" in school competitions anymore. Parents drive their children the three blocks to school in their pollution belching SUV's for fear little Mary gets hit by a stray asteroid. (Now if Mary was wearing her bike helmet to school she would not have to worry about any silly asteroids.) Overly protective parents have been known to not serve solid food until their children have their own permanent teeth. When will the madness end?

Life will come along and make us skin our collective knees - that is what it does. You cannot stop that - you can only grow from it and learn. You are doing your kids a disservice if you don't let them stick their finger in a light socket. Hey Dr. Phil recommends it so it must be good parenting. Was it Dr. Phil or Jerry Springer who mentioned that? No matter - we all know TV does not lie.....