It is late at night. A car stops in the middle of a forest. After dropping off their three children, the parents say" good luck" and drive away. The teenagers, completely lost, have to find their way back home by themselves.
It may sound crazy to you, but this is a tradition with a long history in the Netherlands(荷兰) called "dropping". People there believe that parents should develop children's independence through activities like "dropping"
However, for many other parents around the world, they worry too much about their children's safety. Why should they put their children at risk when they there are many other ways to develop their independence.
People have many different opinions about parenting. All parents want their children to be happy healthy and successful. In China, for example, many parents spend anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 yuan on summer vacation activities for the children. They want their children to enjoy their vacation as much as possible.
But some parents try hard and became a "helicopter parents" which is basically the opposite of dropping. They worry too much about their children and care about everything their children do like -- helicopters flying over their children. In their eyes, children need to be protected all the time.
But this might not be a good parenting style, either, accord to a parenting expert Kenneth Ginsburg. Good parents need to find a balance between protecting their children and letting them go. As Kenneth Ginsburg. write "parents should make sure the children do not crash against the rocks, yet allow them to ride the waves(波浪) even if they get a little choppy (波涛汹涌的) sometimes.
