Uncle Sam is the Worst Helicopter Parent in America - Encounter Books

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Uncle Sam is the Worst Helicopter Parent in America

Abby W. Schachter on How Government is Intruding into Parenting—from Swaddling to Sledding, Breast-feeding to Toys
October 14, 2016

OWPR, author Abby W. Schachter discusses government’s growing overregulation of what used to be the private decisions made by parents. Schachter outlines Washington’s intrusions into parenting and calls for a more localized approach in maintaining good parenting practices (edited slightly for clarity):

“20 years ago, if you wanted to let your kid walk to the playground unsupervised, or ride their bike around the neighborhood, or walk to school, that would be your decision—or yours and your child’s, I suppose. Now it’s the decision of the police department, school principals, crossing-guards, and they get involved in telling parents what they can and can’t do in terms to raising their own children.

The Supreme Court has said that parents have a right to parent their children, with the exception of providing them an education. If you look around at all the cases of parents being arrested for private decisions towards their child—letting them be alone, or the government deciding that we must breastfeed, or our school lunches being determined by Washington DC and not the local community—these are all areas that decisions should be made by parents or local community; and those decisions have been taken away and exacerbated into a “one size fits all”, which doesn’t fit many, many families.”

Listen to the full interview here.

For more from Abby W. Schachter, read No Child Left Alone: Getting The Government Out Of Parenting.

In this Article

No Child Left Alone Getting the Government Out of Parenting

Children are taken from their parents because they are obese. Parents are arrested for letting their kids play outside alone. Sledding and swaddling is banned. From games, to school, breastfeeding to daycare, the overbearing bureaucratic state keeps getting between kids and their parents.

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