But things are different. When I was growing up, nobody registered for the draft. Being in the military didn't involve anywhere near the likelihood of being sent into a war situation. 9/11 hadn't happened.-- Lots of differences.

Yes, some people have gone overly nuts trying to protect their kids, but things definitely are different now. In some ways, I was more cautious in raising my son than my parents were in raising me. In other ways, I was more lax. I've always worked full-time and had to trust daycare and babysitters more than my mom did.

Some kids are very unsupervised nowadays, too. Not to disagree entirely with the overprotectiveness comments, and nothing personal against anyone who actually teaches their kids by giving them some well-planned extra space to learn on their own, but don't get me started on the kids who take care of themselves too much. I'd rather see a parent worry a little too much.