Fear Factor

American parents seem more protective than ever before. A woman in my office was up all night because she didn't know where her 18-year-old daughter was in the morning. I can understand caring for your kid's welfare, but she's technically an adult, presumably not an idiot. A 4-year-old is one thing. But 18?

I remember days bumming around Washington, DC, on the Metro by myself, figuring out how to get to movie theaters all around the area (and sneaking into R-rated movies). By age 9 I was "babysitting" my little brother and sister. Basically it involved watching a lot of TV and cooking dinner in the microwave. It was awesome - I made $2.50 an hour! But when I tell people that many act as if I was thrust into battle. They repeat the scary stories on the news, the Natalee Holloway abduction, pedophiles, etc. There are bad people out there, sure - but there are also 300 million people in the United States, and the vast majority of them don't care about your kid!

Mark Morford has an insightful column on this here.

Getting lost and facing danger is part of growing up. I'm thankful for my spirit of independence and adventure, and getting lost on the subway when I was 12 has a lot to do with it.