Colin the biggest fear that people have is that of becoming the targets and victims of bullies and of people with power that have no qualms about trying to destroy the reputation or standing of others to enhance their own position and for their own pleasure and delight.

I think that your other example of parents watching their children whilst swimming at the beach was also not a good example. The beach is a very dangerous place and parents should at all times supervise their children.

The problem today is that not enough parents are supervising their children and teaching them right from wrong and standing up in their children’s defence when they are being treated unfairly and unjustly. The attitude that life is tough get used to it gives power to those that abuse it. Parents need to get more involved, not less, because children are not born with the ability to resolves issues and make good choices, it is something that needs to be taught and helped to develop. Leaving children to fend for themselves usually just allows the most aggressive and violent bullies to rule whilst the adults sit back and do nothing. What does that teach our children?

Given that it was obvious that the truck driver hit the bridge, what else was he going to say. That he didn’t do it!

Sitting on an handed down rusty bike I learned that I could stop if I kept the mulberry tree infront of me until I became used to the brakes. A multitude of smashes and bruises later, I had taught myself to ride. We went to local water holes as a group, we all went to the toilets never alone, we walked together at night never alone.

We had 9 million people when I was young, we now have 21 million. We had quiet streets with a few of the towns hoons, and you could cross the street straight away because drivers alowed you. We lived life innocently as children should have, there was no adult talk around us, we didnt think of war all we thought of was fun.

My children see death, war, hatred, starvation, disease, abuse and cruelty.
Your opinions on the meerkat generation didnt include lists of how we should behave.
1. When at the beach ensure you have a magazine, sunglasses and valium to enjoy your rest time while the children are watched by life guards who dont get paid but will enjoy saving their life due to the increased density in the flag areas in summer.
2. Women start using the mens toilet to teach your sons how to use the silver stream, we are an equal society let men use the girls too.
3. Most importantly, these are the future adults of the world and if you dont allow them to have psychological and physical pain to be tied to how will they be able to exist in the future?
Following your advice, I realise that I am too caring and loving to my children, I should block out what may happen and just let them live and if the worst happens; so be it, life goes on.....I am curious that the man with the truck accepted blame because no one was hurt, would it have been a face without a smile if he had. My kids dont wear knee pads to rollerblade, but they do hold my hand to cross the street.

One thing to consider -

Growing up, I knew one kid who was a pretty healthy sort, certainly a better athlete than I, though he never really competed in many events, or played many games for that matter.
As he grew up, he developed a serious case of asthma and allergies and by the time he was in his senior years in high school, he was quite frequently home sick.

Having visited his home, I was amazed at how clean and pristine everything in there was - it was more like a museum than a home, and his mother cleaned everything with a zeal that was verging on obsessive compulsive.

Don't get me wrong - I do strongly believe in having a clean household, within reason.

I later learned that children raised in pristine environments don't get the opportunity to develop resistances and antibodies that are important for fending off germs.

Now I don't know if having a 'bubble-like' protected childhood is what caused his asthma, and I have no idea if it was what caused his allergies, but I do know he missed out on a lot of experiences and was socially awkward at times.

I do believe it is possible to love your children to death - if they don't scrape their knees a few times while growing up, they'll never learn to fend for themselves. Maybe this is why there are so many twentysomethings still living with their parents.