Self-reliance a necessary skill

St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington says that fears are unwarranted in our overcoddled nation.

Last update: July 8, 2009 - 12:07 PM

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St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington agrees with Lenore Skenazy that stranger danger, hyped by a voracious media, is way overblown. "Child abduction and stranger assaults are so exaggerated," says the chief, 53, a father of seven. "Very much the exception and not the rule."

Constant repetition of rare cases on cable and court TV, Harrington says, gives the news-consuming public a misleading sense of how dangerous the streets are. Harrington also thinks it stunts the emotional growth of children, making them constantly fearful.

"It's just too bad that we've gotten to the point where a lot of parents are too paranoid to even let their child walk to a park," he says. He thinks Skenazy proved a valid point when she let her son navigate the New York subway alone: that if parents deem a child emotionally prepared, it's a growth experience to fend for one's self.

Harrington credits his attitude in part to a very urban upbringing in Chicago. He believes we have overcomplicated kids' lives by guiding, monitoring and controlling their every move. The Twin Cities metro area is among the nation's safest, Harrington says, so parents ought to give kids here a little more leash.

"Self-reliant kids are healthier kids," Harrington says. "Kids need to make a few of their own decisions, even make a few mistakes, because they need to be allowed to learn to think -- and act -- for themselves."

KATE MCCARTHY

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