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Speaking Point: NY state bureaucrats decree an end to kickball at summer camps! SERIOUSLY??? State bureaucrats have identified a potentially deadly hazard facing our children this summer - freeze tag. That's right, officials have decided the age-old street game - along with Wiffle Ball, kickball and dodgeball - poses a "significant risk of injury." And classics like Capture the Flag, Steal the Bacon and Red Rover are also deemed dangerous in new state regulations for day camps.

Speaking Point: BABY BOOMERS SURVIVED!!!!!! We played jump rope, hop scotch, kickball, dodgeball, red rover and tag. We survived lead paint on our cribs, and poorly placed slats.. We rode our bikes with no helmets while whirling around the neighborhood. We traveled around town with no baby car seats, in the family convertible with no seat belts or air bags. We drank water from the tap not a bottle and medicine and bottles with tablets did not have child proof lids!

Speaking Point: Parents couldn't reach us (no mobiles ) and most of the day we would be out playing with friends and parents knew we would be safe with hardly any weirdos wandering the streets. While playing we got cuts and bruises and the occasional tear in jeans but it was just part of being a kid and no visit to the hospital.

Speaking Point: Modern parents are more watchful and nervous about safety than previous generations. Part of the problem is that with wall-to-wall Internet and cable news, every missing child case gets so much airtime that it's not surprising even normal parental paranoia can be amplified. And many middle-class parents have gotten used to managing their children's time and shuttling them to various enriching activities, so the idea of letting them out on their own can seem like a risk.

Speaking Point: Back in 1972, when many of today's parents were kids, 87 percent of children who lived within a mile of school walked or biked every day. But today, the Centers for Disease Control report that only 13 percent of children bike, walk or otherwise get themselves to school.

Speaking Point: For those parents who wonder how and when they should start allowing their kids more freedom, there's no clear-cut answer. Child experts discourage a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. What's right for one child could be inappropriate for another one. It all depends on developmental issues, maturity, and the psychological and emotional makeup of that child. Several factors must be taken into account such as the ability to follow parent guidelines, the child's level of comfort in handling such situations, and a child's general judgment should be weighed.

Speaking Point: Overprotective parents unintentionally harm their children. By being overly protective they do not let their children grow into a confident and independent adult. Children learn from their mistakes, and by being overprotective parents suppress this learning process. Such parents should change their attitude.

Speaking Point: How does a parent know if he or she is being unnecessarily fearful for his or her child's safety? Parents who view every physical activity as being potentially dangerous; those who only feel reassured when their children are under their watchful eyes; those who are more anxious than their children that something will go wrong; those who hover over their children constantly giving instructions; those who rule out all activities that have an even remote possibility of resulting in an accident; those who feel that their children cannot cross a road without being run over or go out alone without being abducted are parents who could be said to have inappropriate fears.