KittenKoder
Senior Member
I couldn't believe she did what she did and then decided to write about it.
Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone - April 1, 2008 - The New York Sun
I don't think I will be following her advice anytime soon.
Helicopter .... your kids will never truly grow up either.
I may give you some leeway because you don't at this point have kids of your own, but how does wishing to accompany a 9 year old child on the subway consititute in some way as being a "helicopter parent?" I use to take the NYC buses and subways all the time as a kid, but we all know that those days were a lot merrier and carefree than they are today. As a parent, I have to make a decision how old is old enough for my children to take the subway by themselves. We're not talking about bickering with the teacher about B on an assignment entitled "What I Did During Summer Vacation?" (Which incidentally, never happened in our family.) This is a safety issue.
For those parents who believe that a cellphone or a Blackberry would diminish the camping experience, the solution is simple. Have the cellphone/Blackberry confiscated at the first instance of it being used at an inappropriate time. The children who don't abuse the privilege will hold onto their equipment while the kids who can't help themselves will lose them on the very first day. We all assume that all kids addicted to texting. Not true.
As the number of helicopter parents increases, the fewer adults capable of making intelligent and informed decisions we have. You can't expect to be over protective of someone for 18 years then suddenly toss them into the real world without any experience and then have them make good decisions. The chances of anything truly horrible happening to them are still less than being struck by lightening.