[smaddox]

> As a parent your primary duty is the safety and well-being of your child. That comes first, lessons second.

That's a false dichotomy. When you over-protect your children, you deprive them of the life lessons that will keep them safe in the future. You can't protect them forever.

[nkrisc]

What is safe for your child changes over time as they mature. As a parent you need to understand what is and isn't acceptable risk for them at their current developmental stage. There's no one answer, each child is different.