.. It can be very damaging for a person's development to be treated as a child until the age of 21... children can make very valuable contributions to society with their fresh perspectives and playful attitudes. This is to be supported and treasured. Instead, however, since childhood independence and autonomy often are not encouraged, today's young students often become inflexible, non-adaptive, and non-spontaneous, therefore operating based on confusion, fear, or "by rote" within new or unfamiliar environments. The example Rich gives of the elementary school-aged boy who was not expected to clear his own dishes from the table, at home or at school, and who is surprised about being asked to do so by the author (and initially reluctant to do so), is illustrative in that respect.

It is not surprising that in the school environment, as Rich also points out: "Student accountability gets harder and harder as kids move forward in the grades because they get so used to adults doing it all." Arguably, when school-aged children remain too cosseted by parents, teachers, and others from realities of daily living, and when their developing autonomy and self-confidence are not encouraged (or even expected) by most adults around them, such children likely will, according to Paterson (2005).".. be less able to deal with potentially dangerous situations as adults and each new generation of grown ups will be less confident than the last."

Rich further suggests that today's students need to be let in on traditional "teacher-to-parent" discussions of their own educational progress:

Elementary graders need to go, whenever possible, to parent-teacher conferences. They need to listen to what adults say and respond to it, taking away from the conference...

Just as we have learned that in medicine, patients have to be involved, when it comes to education, so do children.
In America today, current conventional wisdom holds that, since the world is a dangerous place for children, we can never possibly protect them enough. While it is true that much potential harm exists for children in today's world, it is also true, as Paterson suggests, that we are making children more insecure... We need to ensure that we gradually help children develop skills - like being able to assess people and situations as they get older.... We do need protective measures but we also need to help children to keep themselves safe

Perhaps, as Dorothy Rich suggests, it is time that we stop overprotecting today's children so much, and expecting so little of them - at home, at school, and elsewhere. After all, it is only by expecting more of them do we teach children to expect more of themselves, now and in the future.

Works Cited

Children." Worldtrans.org. Retrieved October 1, 2005, from: http://www.worldtrans.org/hw/children.html>.

Enjoying and Achieving." Early Years: Firm Foundations. Ofsted Better

Education and Care. Retrieved October 2, 2005, from: http://www.ofsted.

A gov.uk/publications/firmfoundations/chapter3.htm>.

Paterson, Stewart. "Wrong to Wrap Our Kids in Cotton Wool." Evening Times

Online. Retrieved October 2, 2005, from: http://www.eveningtimes.co.

A uk/lo/opinion/7019998.html>.

Rich, Dorothy. "Students Can Do More: U.S. Adults Shield Kids from Tasks that Teach." Lansing State Journal [LSJ]. September 25, 2005. Los Angeles

Times Syndicate.