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Parents in the United States are wimps. And so are the kids. Over the past century, parents of the USA have become so protective of their children that some will not even let them walk down the street alone. Only 200 years ago, boys of 13 were considered grown men and were obligated to find a job and begin working. Girls were expected to marry and manage a household at age 14. How has it that parents of today have such low expectations of their kids?

First of all, I would like to point out that the NYC subway is not nearly as dangerous as most people make it seem. If it was, nobody in their right minds would use it. You might say "Well, there are so many new articles of violent crimes in New York City! You can't say that it isn't dangerous." The fact is, news writers only pick the horrible to talk about so that they can get attention. What about the millions of other people who didn't commit any crimes? It is just a few people giving the NYC subway its bad name. Should people be scared of this misinterpreted image the media has fed them?

If you say that allowing kids to ride the subway is irresponsible, then ask yourself why. The chances are slim that they will meet up with someone bad - around half a percent, more than half of which accounts for violent threats. On top of that, there are hundreds of people around, many of which would come to a child's aid at a moments notice. If you are going to count that as dangerous, what about everywhere else? School, the park, even a walk to a friend's house down the street can be dangerous. A robber could break and enter your house and steal your children! What do you think you are going to do? Stand by your kids with a shotgun till they turn 18? Ridiculous! Nobody can perfectly protect their children. Is that irresponsible?

By trying to defend your kids from all harm, you are in fact harming them. When you decide it is time for them to be turned loose, they will have a blank slate to work on. Over-guarding children prevents them from gaining valuable experience on how to face the world on their own. As a parent, one's responsibility is not to shield one's kids from everything bad, but to teach them how to live on their own and to give them an environment in which to learn and experience. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." Stopping a child from learning is a serious threat to their future life. Is that responsible?

Children are very

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