It's true that sometimes parents are overprotective--keeping the kids on training wheels long past the time the kids want them, driving them to school rather than having them walk to the bus stop, etc.

But sometimes everybody--including the kids--can be kids.   We had some snow yesterday. And lots of people were out sledding. Some on the hill right next to me--long before it was a good idea. Tearing up the hill--you could easily see the dirt--rather than waiting a few hours til there was a good surface.

But the best place was the steep road a few blocks away.   It was too slick for any reasonable motorist to try to climb--of course there were some unreasonable ones--so we had to keep an eye out.   But it was a great run--before the snowplow got there.   Lots of kids--and parents--doing it. Somebody stationed at the bottom to watch for cars--we slid right past the stop sign.   I did it--it was great--then I went to work. Jan said that she did it about 12 times--I told her she should think about the plate in her neck--but fortunately she didn't run into anything.   She said even after the snowplow came by the road was still good for sledding.   Albeit you couldn't use a real sled--only the plastic sleds would work--the runners on real sleds would cut too deep.