I have memories of a childhood so different from the way my children are growing up. This make me think we are in the age of the overprotected children. Today the modern parents preoccupation with safety erases the benefits gained from independence and risk taking, as a "free" children.
Hanna Rosin write an interesting article in the Atlantic national, she elaborate with this topic very well.
I often say my kids grow up too fast, but maybe they never get the chance to grow up at all. And to take the necessary interim steps in order to feel independent, in order to manage risk and to deal with sadness and the discovery of new stuff...
"v-jeans" in the 70s, that's freedom...