The Child Trap

Judging by my own life experiences, I see strong validity behind the argument made in "The Child Trap". Friends of my parents have a daughter who is a senior in high school. They are very overprotective parents with a plethora of rules. They are the type who would read their daughters text messages and ims, and snoop through her backpack. These parents put an immense amount of effort into making sure their daughter stays out of trouble. Unfortunately for them, she rebelled. Overprotected children want to do anything to go against their parents. She is a frequent smoker, and there's nothing they can do to stop her. Their daughter sneaks out and gets involved with the wrong crowd. Their over parenting led to her downfall. On the other hand, my parents have other friends who give their daughter space. They trust and respect her, and give her the freedom she's earned. Their daughter enjoys spending time at home and stays out of trouble. She would rather spend time at Starbucks with her best friend than go out and get wasted. This is a clear example of how over parenting can lead to less than desirable results. The parents who give their children enough freedom end up with responsible children with good judgment. Parents who attempt to control their children's lives end up with children who rebel and make poor decisions.