Just 3 or 4 generations ago, our ancestors would let their 9-year-old son, his...

Just 3 or 4 generations ago, our ancestors would let their 9-year-old son, his dog, and a shotgun go camping for a week alone in the woods.

Now we don’t allow supervised sleepovers.

Back then, your average 16-year-old was more mature than most people will ever be today. Why? Because they were allowed to grow up.

I can’t imagine having that much fear of my own judgment or of my friends or their children. The men I call friends are men I would trust with my life or the safety of my child, and they trust me in turn.

Is this why it’s so hard for women to cooperate in childrearing like our great grandmothers did? They don’t trust each other.