How much harm is caused by not teaching them to be safe in such circumstances? More pointedly how much harm is caused by not giving them individuated and appro

How much harm is caused by not teaching them to be safe in such circumstances? More pointedly how much harm is caused by not giving them individuated and appropriate but also real independence? Skills take time and practice to develop. What would you expect to result from a failure to actively and persistently develop the independence that a child will require for the rest of their life? The same dynamic has come up with COVID. There is known harm through infection but also through isolation. In my family we are extremely conservative and careful (probably overly, privileged-ly, and wastefully so) but we ensure regular playdates with a small set of children with careful parents so that our young child can still develop friendships and social skills. And, you know, be a kid. Taking a year off that, particularly at the current age of my child would be extremely harmful so we spend all of our risk chits on that. Similarly, while never doing anything would reduce many active risks studies have shown being sedentary is more deadly than smoking. A cost to benefit maximization process is almost always appropriate.