What dangerous things should parents let their teenagers do?
I prefer to talk about what skills teenagers should acquire, and what experiences they should have, that will help them learn to recognize and mitigate risk so that they can avoid danger. If the point of growing up is to learn how to survive on your own, then teens need to be given the opportunities to practice those skills. Evaluating a situation and being able to estimate the risks involved is an important life skill. The topics in the book provide an opportunity to learn important skills like using a knife, driving a nail, and navigating public transit (statistically the safest way to travel), but also create a context in which to demonstrate responsibility. As a teen, if you can demonstrate that you can be trusted with a hammer and a nail, then it is only small increments to be given permission to put strange stuff in the microwave, or squash pennies on a railroad track. These are milestones that demonstrate self-control and good judgment. What risks are involved? As in our daily l
