Parenting

            In the article, Parenting, the author reflected many of the ideas that I employ in my own experiences in being a mother. The writer's ideas of independence and freedom touched base with my own ideas as a parent. .
             I can understand the writer's enthusiasm as she watched her daughter, Lisa, gain independence as she rode the theme park ride without the presence of her cousin. The feeling of fear the writer felt as her daughter walked to school alone and that moment of relief she experienced when her daughter, Lisa, returned from school. I related to those emotions the writer felt, and the pride she experienced as she watched her child turn into an independent human being. I have seen my children's independence growing through out the stages in their lives. It is difficult for parents to cut those strings and let their children gain independence. .
             In today's world it is extremely important to not cut the strings too early or too late. Society has our children living more adult- type lifestyles, instead of allowing them to be children. We, as a society, are asking our children to grow up too fast. Society is asking ten-year-olds to be parents to younger siblings, fourteen-year-old girls to look like Brittany Spears, and seventeen-year-olds to be computer technicians. If we cut the strings too soon in our children's lives, they lose their childhood and perhaps get lost in a society of violence, drugs, and sex. If we do not cut the strings soon enough, our children become naive to the world, and when they venture on their own they become overwhelmed. They are unable to deal with life's circumstances, which make them victims of the many demons of society. .
             I remember when I was a child growing up, these were power struggles I encountered with my parents over my independence. However, there were times that I wanted my parents to be the ones in control. Although I would never want to admit that emotion, it was a fact.