On average, today’s college freshmen have met fewer developmental goals than previous generations.
Kids in most countries are safer today than they were at any other point in history. Yet for a variety of reasons, American parents seem to believe that children should never be without adult supervision.
By shielding kids from every risk they might encounter, we are leading them to react with exaggerated fear to situations that aren’t all that risky. At least that’s the argument of free speech expert Greg Lukianoff and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who think that we need to expose children to more stressors.
This exposure will help kids learn how to handle difficult situations. Otherwise, they might not be able to handle the challenges that we all encounter in normal adult life.
To learn more about how we can shape our kids to be more resilient, check out our Instaread on The Coddling of the American Mind.
