Thinking back to when I grew up, life was simple. Not only did I play outside with no adult supervision, I remember playing in the street. We played tennis, kickball and even baseball in the street. As cars would come, we would step aside and resume the game after they passed. When the street lights came on, we headed home. Walking a mile to school at four years old didn't seem unusual at the time. Or our summer excursion to the library to pick out books were all unsupervised. In first grade, I was responsible for walking home from school to make my dad his lunch. I would arrive at an empty house, except for our dachshund, Jadwiga. On the menu, soup, and sandwich. My mom pre-made the sandwich before she went to work; the soup, however, required a can opener and heating it up on the stove. All this taught me responsibility, independence, and confidence. However, things changed when I became a mom.

Parents inherently want their children to succeed. They stress the importance of “excellence” for their child. As a baby, they may start teaching their child baby sign language to boaster their cognitive ability. They can be eager to sign up their three-year-old up for ballet or, in this case, for wrestling. Yes, as a parent, I am guilty of arranging for art classes, gymnastics, swimming, and more, all before the age of four. As parents, we fear not having that jump-start will forever put them behind in academia, the arts, or sports. However, as a prospective grandparent, I have a different viewpoint.