Jul 22, 2026 · 20 min · 11 segments
***Has our increasingly risk-averse society changed the way we see children?*** **In this episode, David Brown chats to Jenny about this central question raised in her earlier discussion with Dr…
Jenny BrownHost
David BrownHost
And that's when Peter reminded us that the notion that parents are troubled, it's not a new topic.
How much risk should parents tolerate if they're raising confident, resilient children? He talked about that fragile to competent.
I think the key question we're asking in this discussion, how much risk should parents tolerate? Our societies become increasingly risk averse.
And our families and our parenting and Peter's historical perspective, as well as Dr. Bowen's writings on societal changes, really bring that out, don't they? And I think that's a key question for parents.
How much risk should I tolerate? And what's going on here with this seeing children as fragile and needing extra protection and rather than as competent is a core.
As you know, David, something that I've written into The Parenting Paradox, my recent book, drawn a lot from Peter Stern's work on this.
And I wonder if parents are not even asking the question, I hope this podcast and Peter's reflections and his writings get every parent asking this question.
Because when you're living in a time in history, you don't realize what's changed gradually over time.
So I think the key thing to start with in our discussion is, is parents out there and us grandparents, do we realize how risk averse we've become and the impact that's having on raising our children?
And that's when Peter reminded us that the notion that parents are troubled, it's not a new topic.
How much risk should parents tolerate if they're raising confident, resilient children? He talked about that fragile to competent.
I think the key question we're asking in this discussion, how much risk should parents tolerate? Our societies become increasingly risk averse.
And our families and our parenting and Peter's historical perspective, as well as Dr. Bowen's writings on societal changes, really bring that out, don't they? And I think that's a key question for parents.
How much risk should I tolerate? And what's going on here with this seeing children as fragile and needing extra protection and rather than as competent is a core.
As you know, David, something that I've written into The Parenting Paradox, my recent book, drawn a lot from Peter Stern's work on this.
And I wonder if parents are not even asking the question, I hope this podcast and Peter's reflections and his writings get every parent asking this question.
Because when you're living in a time in history, you don't realize what's changed gradually over time.
So I think the key thing to start with in our discussion is, is parents out there and us grandparents, do we realize how risk averse we've become and the impact that's having on raising our children?
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