Americans in general have an extreme overprotective attitude towards allowing children even to play in the front yard. Most Americans think children under 10 are too young.

This is the effect of massive publicity about dangers that are very rare.

I suspect this overprotection will tend to make children feel smothered as well as making them timid.

The requirement to supervise children without a break, and the need to bring them everywhere they are to go, imposes tremendous stress and expense on parents. When I was 7 years old, I walked home from school, used my keys to go in, and amused myself till my mother got home from work. She did not have to pay for "child care" — I knew how to read and play without adult help.

I support Sanders's proposal to tax the rich more to fund day care. But we can eliminate a substantial fraction of the expense by teaching parents that children don't need to stay in day care for so many years.