Awesome article. This is a rare perspective in today’s era of parenting, and I completely agree with your points. My kids aren’t quite school age yet but I have family members who are teachers and it is becoming ridiculous how over-involved schools expect parents to be. I spent my early 20s making stupid decisions, making mistakes, failing a few college classes,etc. I don’t regret them though because at least they were my decisions — decisions that I learned and grew from as a result. They made me the person I am today. It’s not that we should aspire for our kids to be fuck-ups after they graduate — we always want the best for them — but we should encourage them to be strong, independent individiuals who are capable and self-sufficient.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend Julie Lythcott-Haims’ book How To Raise An Adult. It delves into this topic and provides many good strategies for raising adults in world of overbearing, overprotective, helicopter-parenting.