Image via WikipediaHow can helicopter parenting — the new trend of hovering over your child constantly and micro-managing their life — be inspiring? Well, I keep reading about how we’re creating a generation of wimps who break down at the least bit of stress because they haven’t been properly exposed to the ups and downs of life due to their parents’ overprotectiveness.
And that led me to thinking about how overscheduled those poor kids are and how they aren’t allowed time to just be. That led me to thinking about how we overschedule ourselves and don’t allow time for just being. How we avoid risk and do the safe thing, even at the expense of our own happiness. We perpetrate our own sins on our kids.
It’s time for a backlash. For the sake of our kids and our own satisfaction with our lives, let’s not be afraid to try something different.
Let’s start by reinstating “free time.” For everybody. See what happens.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9fa7c4aa-acdc-41dc-8d88-fde8c9731ee9)
shannon.turlington AT gmail.com 
Hey Shannon. I’m not sure how familiar you are with Lenore Skenazy and her “free range kids” movement and blog. I wrote about it for the Wired Geekdad blog a few months back, and it definitely echoes some of your sentiment about the “helicopter parenting” style. Thought you might enjoy it: http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/04/freerangekids.html
Thanks, I do read the Free Range Kids blog but I will also check out your article. Shannon
Pingback: Worth Reading: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang « Books Worth Reading