Fun & Care, I totally get what you ar esaying. My mom thinks it's funny that I insist on my kids wearing helmets when they ride their bikes, even if it is a tricycle in the driveway and I grew up on the water and once we could swim nobody wore lifejackets. Now I would insist that my kids wear life jackets for sure...it just makes sense and can save lives. When I said I let my kids take some risks, I did not mean life threatening risks! I think it can be tricky to find the line between keeping them safe and being over protective and not letting them even have a scratch or bruise. I knew a mom of a child at my son's old daycare who put knee pads on her toddler at all times when he was playing outside, just in case he fell down...to me this is a bit over the top. I have a dc mom who is afraid to let her 3.5 year old eat an apple whole because she might choke (among other things)...I don't say anything as I know she loves her child and is doing her best, but the child is so fearful of everything and I wish she could see that a lot of it is because of her parent's fear of her doing anything (she won't even go on the swings because she's afraid she will fall off...even the baby swings). However, I know we are all just doing our best. And I agre that we are judged a lot and that makes it sooooo much more difficult to parent...there is no support, only judegment.