When Does a Parent Become Overprotective?
Posted in Parenting on 16. Sep, 2009
As I was driving my daughter to preschool yesterday morning, I passed some kids waiting on the corner for the school bus to pick them up and take them to the local elementary school. They stood there in the bright morning sun, happy, chatting together. It occurred to me that it won’t be long before my kids are that age. And then it got me to thinking. Will my daughter ride the bus next year? Should I drop her off instead? What should we say if she wants to walk from school to her friend’s house one day?
We hear horror stories in the news, and it spooks us. We all want what is best for our kids – we want to protect them, cherish them, and keep them out of harm’s way. But we also want to encourage them to become healthy, independent and well adjusted children. I’m certainly not going to send my five year old off to hike several miles to school, but I also don’t want to hover around her and never let her experience anything.
Apparently I’m not the only one thinking about where the line is. I found this post from The New York Times very interesting – check it out and let me know what you think!
[Update: Apparently news that is over a day old at The NYT site requires a login. This is free and easy, though.]
Why Can’t She Walk to School? [The New York Times]
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A good test might be if someone was willing to set their kid in front of an R rated movie.
If you are comfortable with that, then there shouldn’t be a problem with the bus. Obviously,
this depends on the age of the kid.
I taught abstinence education in the schools for a couple years and had direct knowledge
with what goes on in the school buses. hhaha I even rode the bus 15 years ago and was
constantly ostracized. My friend’s daughter was continually sexually propositioned on her bus
by high schoolers (she was 8). (never mind the profane language) Many school nurses told us that oral sex is definitely something
that is happening on many buses. Responsible parenting means being wise in choosing what we expose our kids to and being CONSISTENT with the standard. My vote is to drive them to school. : )
Personally, I think driving the kids to school is another way of loving them. If the parents are unable to do this consistently, Grandparents are often a good resource. It’s a family thing. However, neighbors and friends are often invaluable in this area and this is a very good way to demonstrate love to our neighbors. For those of us who love God and are looking for ways to love our neighbor, I think this is a golden opportunity. I’m an old gal now, but I remember how nice it was to carpool with the neighborhood kids and their Moms!