Worst mom? I think not.

A woman in New York let her 9-year old take the subway alone. He begged her to let him try, so she did. Of course he was fine and also very proud of himself. The mom discussed it in a New York Sun article and was met with an unfortunate barrage of criticism from individuals and the media.

I find this attitude irrational and completely agree with her assertion that a "child who thinks he can't do anything on his own eventually can't."

She's started a blog: freerangekids.wordpress.com that is a fun read for parents and non-parents alike!

When Jack visited me in New York years ago I didn't hesitate to send him on the subway by himself. Granted, he was 15, but he was far less familiar with the city than a 9-year old who lives there. I always felt like navigating NYC on his own was a great learning experience for Jack. And he was completely safe.

Call me crazy (or just not a parent), but I don't want to live in a world like the people who wrote wrote to tell the author that:

- a dad "lets" his 11-year-old walk one block to her best friend's house — but she has to call the minute she arrives

- a mom proudly said that she doesn't let her daughter walk down the block to the mailbox

Naturally, there were some sensible people who wrote to tell her they thought she did a good thing.

Of course I can relate to the reasons why parents become over-protective. All week I've been noticing all the non-child friendly things in my house and worrying about potential harm they may bring to Trevor. But there's a difference between vigilance and outright nonsense.

Over-protected children become helpless, hapless adults. Isn't the purpose of parenting to raise children to become capable, self-sufficient adults rather than perennial children, scared of everything and unable to think or do for themselves?