Ok, ok. I’ve said repeatedly that I’m not a parent, and was never a Scout, and as such am not much qualified to comment. That disclaimer doesn’t seem to be quite enough, so it’s time for me to drop the thread.<br><br>I’ll be the first to admit that my upbringing should not be a model for anyone else’s. Perhaps that’s why I’m not a parent. The last five years or so of my time in my parent’s home was basically a million variations on the same conversation:<br><br>“But, why can’t I do it?”<br><br>“We just don’t think you’re mature enough to handle it yet.”<br><br>“How do you know when I’m mature enough?”<br><br>“When you show enough responsibility.”<br><br>“How do I show responsibility?”<br><br>“By doing the right thing without being told.”<br><br>“Who determines what the right thing is?”<br><br>“We do.”<br><br>“So, basically you’re saying that I’m responsible when I do exactly what you want me to do, without being told, and I can make my own decisions so long as they’re the decisions you would have made for me anyway.”<br><br>“You got it.”<br>