One of the last conversations David and I had with JonJon was about being a parent in today's world. He was taking a measured and intense role in the responsibility for raising Jonah, and was sharing with us his perspective on sheltering children from the realities of the world - the consequences of running and falling down, so to speak. Paraphrasing that conversation, 
"I see too many kids whose parents never let them play with sticks, so they have no idea what a stick can do to them the first time they pick one up. They get hurt worse than Jonah, who has always been able to play with a stick and has some sense of what one can do. I will take my chances about 'putting an eye out' because I will have a child that knows the limits of sticks, and will be much less likely to put his eye out. What I'm afraid of is him being around children who have never held a stick, and will put his eye out."
I think of this conversation every time Miss H picks up a stick, or a rock, or eats a mouthful of sand. Wise limits, and the opportunity to explore the world. Heaven help me the first time she goes snowboarding, I guess. I will just have to hide my eyes and cheer her on.
We got a lot of wisdom and perspective from JonJon and Jonah during that brief visit, which I will always treasure. This is a roundabout and memory-lane way of introducingthis thread of stories on BoingBoing about "Free Range Kids" and the disservice we are doing to an entire generation as we seal them in bubbles. This particular entry links you to a free book about raising children in a risk-averse society. We'll have to see how we do as we face sticks and scraped knees, rocks and climbing trees. Stay tuned.
