Helicopter Parenting: Is Coddling Our Kids Helping or Harming?

Things are definitely much different than when I was a kid. Children nowadays get coddled and spoiled. Is it society becoming more technological? Or is crime getting worse, causing parents to tighten leashes (sometimes literally)? Which also begs almost the same question I posed in my post about hot car deaths, is crime actually getting worse or do we just hear about it more readily? This article kind of asks the same questions and brings up some great comparisons of the ways parenting has changed. It also brings up the fact that there really is no longer a sense of community offline anymore. I mean, honestly, how many of you know more than one or two of your neighbors? People don't trust other people as much as they did (probably for good reason). This means we're less likely to let our kids spend the night at a neighbor's house (one that also has children, of course). We're less likely to organize and/or attend a neighborhood block party or barbecue. Kids don't get the same experiences they used to and it makes me wonder if kids today are softer, for lack of a better word. For instance, nowadays, children get awards just for participating. Or the "Anti-Bullying Campaign." This was never around when I was a kid and I don't remember ever hearing about kids committing suicide because of bullying. Granted, bullying is a terrible thing and a child's suicide is an absolute tragedy, but this seems to be a new thing.

Is it because kids do more things online rather than going outdoors and "getting into trouble?" The article I linked to above mentions kids these days aren't allowed to roam around outdoors quite as much as their parents were. You hear in the news all the time how kids are getting kidnapped from their own neighborhoods, parents today don't allow their kids to stray as far as parents in the past used to. There are also tons of products out today that make things...oversafe, I suppose? For example, baby wipe warmers. I mean, for real? Your baby's ass can't be cold for two seconds? And there are baby monitors that have cameras on them! And all sorts of things to baby-proof your house, like toilet latches... What happened to watching your kids to make sure they weren't playing in the toilet? There are also many products to make sure your kids are always entertained and you never have to spend any actual time with them, like TVs in the car, tablets, and smart phones. Are all of these things contributing to a society of sissies? Let's get back to how things were in the TV show The Wonder Years! Kevin learned some valuable life lessons!

To be totally honest, I have a huge crush on the dad!

Absent-mindedness or Laziness? Thoughts on "Hot Car" Deaths

In the news recently, there have been a string of "hot car" related deaths of children. I'm not sure if this is a case of the news hyping up something that has always been going on, or if these types of deaths really are becoming more frequent. But, either way, really? Here's an example of some of the stories in the news right now:
Wichita, KS
North Richmond Hills, TX
Atlanta, GA
Lancaster, SC
Ridgefield, CT
Ardmore, OK
Centuria, WI
El Paso, TX
Those are just a few examples of cases in the last month. My biggest question is, how?  First off, you have nine whole months of preparation, of knowing you have a kid before it's even born! And most of these children are more than six months old. So, on top of that nine months, you had another 6+ to get used to having a kid and taking it out of the car. And then, one day, you just up and forget the last year or so of your life? So, is it malice, absent-mindedness, or just pure laziness? I know there has been a few times, when I want to run into 7-11 real quick, and I've been tempted to leave Dahlia in the car, but I don't. Hot cars aside, what about kidnappers? Kids have gotten abducted out of their driveways, so you're going to leave your kid in a parking lot? Anyway, it really doesn't take long for a car to become uncomfortable and some of these parents are leaving their kids in the car for hours. One case that I linked above, the child was left in the car overnight!! Where did these parents think their kid was all night?!? This Texas police officer made a video of himself in a hot car and he wanted to leave after 30 minutes, but forced himself to stay inside. Here's an interview with him about the video:

I feel preventing this from occurring is a responsibility set squarely on the shoulders of the parents. But, of course, not everyone feels this way. Many feel it's the responsibility of the auto manufacturers; "Death in Hot Cars: Why Can't the Automakers Prevent the Danger?" To which I say, bullshit. That's like blaming the company that manufactured your spoon for making you fat. The spoon company didn't do it, your eating habits did (unless you have a legitimate health problem, of course, but still, not the spoon's fault). Preventing these deaths is as simple as pulling your head out of your ass. So, my question to you is, do you think this is just a case of journalistic sensationalism, or are these deaths really on the rise? Leave your opinions in the comments below!