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> And it's kind of tricky because it's a defacto part of society. I hate this hyper-scheduled hyper-data-driven stuff myself. But since the large majority of ot

> And it's kind of tricky because it's a defacto part of society. I hate this hyper-scheduled hyper-data-driven stuff myself. But since the large majority of other parents do this, I can't avoid it The problem is that this behavior is driven by a tiny monitory, and supported by the rest. The honest answer is to be the jerk who doesn't go along with it. The only way we can stop being victim to societal trends is to go against the flow.

ethbro 9y ago
> The only way we can stop being victim to societal trends is to go against the flow. This. Or to put it another way: "You know who's a more interesting person in adulthood? Someone whose parents didn't bow to peer pressure when they were a kid." FFS. If you're a parent, you're supposed to be setting an example. Not giving in to the same impulses we ostensibly teach our children to resist.
- watwut 9y ago
  Your child playing computer games alone all the time or even tinkering alone all the time because you are too proud will still lack peer contact. You absolutely can opt out of socialization for both you and your kid. But, that is what you are doing there.
  - ethbro 9y ago
    The alternative to helicopter parenting is not just opting out of socializing. There's also, you know, letting your kid hang out with other kids organically. They do that naturally, you know?
    - watwut 9y ago
      Maybe it is too late to answer now, but anyway. If other parents expect planned meetups, then "organically" is exactly that. Even if they take no issue random meets in principle, they already planned most time for other things. Their kids are not outside to be randomly met. Often other kids don't even live within walkable distance. For that matter 3-6 years old don't "organically" start to visit each other alone without parents. How exactly you expect that to happen, really?
  - thomastjeffery 9y ago
    I guarantee you will find some other parents that are willing to let their children live like they did growing up.

ethbro 9y ago

> The only way we can stop being victim to societal trends is to go against the flow. This. Or to put it another way: "You know who's a more interesting person in adulthood? Someone whose parents didn't bow to peer pressure when they were a kid." FFS. If you're a parent, you're supposed to be setting an example. Not giving in to the same impulses we ostensibly teach our children to resist.

watwut 9y ago
Your child playing computer games alone all the time or even tinkering alone all the time because you are too proud will still lack peer contact. You absolutely can opt out of socialization for both you and your kid. But, that is what you are doing there.
- ethbro 9y ago
  The alternative to helicopter parenting is not just opting out of socializing. There's also, you know, letting your kid hang out with other kids organically. They do that naturally, you know?
  - watwut 9y ago
    Maybe it is too late to answer now, but anyway. If other parents expect planned meetups, then "organically" is exactly that. Even if they take no issue random meets in principle, they already planned most time for other things. Their kids are not outside to be randomly met. Often other kids don't even live within walkable distance. For that matter 3-6 years old don't "organically" start to visit each other alone without parents. How exactly you expect that to happen, really?
- thomastjeffery 9y ago
  I guarantee you will find some other parents that are willing to let their children live like they did growing up.