Why are Americans more controlling of their children than Europeans?

Not all are. Only the good parents. 

I think there are a variety of different reasons.

• First of all, America is more dangerous than Europe. Full stop. Americans are fed a constant, non-stop diet of fear and distrust of strangers pretty much from the cradle; there are child abductions and murders galore, missing children on milk cartons, and so on.

• Furthermore, the sue-happy culture of the USA results in an over-the-top caution from nearly all points in society. Insurance won’t cover negligence so many institutions or companies do not want to take any risks. This filters into every day life.

• Psychological pressure on Americans is greater than on Europeans. Pressure to succeed, pressure to be seen. Wealth and success are more worshipped in America than in Europe (which is not to say they are not sought after in Europe, either, of course.) But in America the drive to succeed is a lot more serious and earnest. Do you want your child living here…?

• …or here?
• America, with it’s reduced safety net, lack of universal health care, and general social darwinist attitudes towards things breeds extremely competitive behaviour in its people. In a culture where success and failure are literally life and death matters, parents often push their children harder to achieve more and earlier than in Europe where children are, to a certain extent, still allowed to be children. Obviously no American wants his child to go without health insurance or have a life addcited to drugs — another ubiquitous pitfall of American life or parents to worry about.

All of these problems exist in Europe but not to the extent or at the intensity that they exist in the USA.

The bottom in America is pretty low. No sane parent wants that for their child. So its no wonder that Americans are a bit more controlling of their children.

Written Jan 14