[coldest_summer]

Beware the helicopters.

Give kids the freedom to make mistakes and suffer the (nonfatal, no loss of life or limb) consequences.

Yes, there are cases to intervene, but generally, you should let your kids hurt themselves more. Pain is a very important form of learning. By overprotecting them, they become very vulnerable adults, then worse things happen.

[21asdffdsa12]

They also become dysfunctional adults, needing a replacement parent, when the parent disappears- which is mostly the state, sometimes a company - and always a example for stunted individual growth.

[paulryanrogers]

> you should let your kids hurt themselves more

This is quite presumptuous. Even minor injuries can add up to long term damage. We don't need to keep our kids inside or wrapped in crazy layers to protect them. We also don't need them to get hurt a lot for them to learn what's good or bad.

[halfmatthalfcat]

It sounds like your concept of “minor” may be calibrated too high. Kids need to test boundaries to learn limits. They need to learn limits to live safely while understanding their actual capabilities. This involves getting hurt sometimes. Is it fun? No. Do you learn a lesson almost every time? Yes. This is the compounding that actually matters.

[627467]

I thought there was a difference between "hurt more" and "hurt a lot" even when accounting for subjetiveness of both.

but I guess part of this "screen based society" we live in is the loss of nuance and charitable interpretation.

[mlrtime]

It's called "controlled risk taking"

Children need to take these risks themselves, the caregiver there is to put them in a place where the control limits the damage.