Now, I suspect, a lot of people are experiencing a kind of parents' remorse. We bought into the philosophy that children needed unlimited self-esteem, maximum freedom and minimal pressure to succeed in life or contribute to society. We taught our kids to think of themselves as entitled and to see themselves as the center of the universe. Now instead of parents having expectations of their children, children have expectations of how their parents are supposed to behave. We're here to serve them, to make their lives as comfortable and convenient as possible. 

　　I want my children to stop acting like an only child, and learn to share everything with their siblings, including their parents' time and attention. I want them to get out of their heads this idea that the world revolves around them, and all that matters at any given moment of the day is what they want, need or feel; and I want them to treat people better, starting with their family members, and then moving on to complete strangers, and not look down on anyone -- ever. 

　　Of course, the problem is that this is what parents are for. It's our job to instill these values and teach children how to become good people. It doesn't happen naturally. And it won't happen magically. It'll only happen if we set standards and enforce rules when they're not met. And fathers have a special role to play in all of this. It's not easy being a good dad. In fact, it's exhausting. And it can often be frustrating. In fact, frankly, a lot of fathers decide it is too hard. They give up, check out, hang back and essentially let their kids raise themselves. It's one of the reasons why we got into this mess. 

　　The only way out is for fathers to get back in the game. We have to be present in our children's lives. Forget about being their friends. They have friends. They need fathers. We have to be in our kids' faces, just like our grandfathers and fathers used to be. And for the same reason -- because we care enough not to be anywhere else.

The Utah “free-range parenting” law, which went into effect this month, states that it doesn’t constitute neglect if parents allow their children to do activities such as walking to school, riding their bikes or playing on a playground without adult supervision, provided that the children are “of sufficient age and maturity to avoid harm or unreasonable risk of harm.” It also says leaving a child 6 years old or older alone in a car temporarily does not constitute neglect. 

Arkansas State Senator Alan Clark authored a similar bill last year but hit a wall in the lower house because of concerns it could endanger children. He is optimistic that Utah’s law will show that that isn’t the case. “It’s always the fear factor…but people are beginning to see we have too much fear,” he said. Support cuts across party lines. New York Assemblyman Phil Steck is pushing similar legislation. “When I was a child, you let your dogs and your children out after breakfast and…they had to be home for dinner. I felt I gained a lot more from just playing on the street than my children did from being in organized sports activities,” he said. Such practices had been the norm for decades, but parental neglect laws were strengthened starting the 1980s amid growing concerns of child abduction and abuse, symbolized by the use of milk cartons to profile missing children. 

The issue recently has led to episodes of parents being charged with criminal neglect for allowing their children to play outdoors on their own. In one highly publicized case, a Maryland couple, Danielle and Leonard Meitiv, were investigated by state child protective services in 2014 for letting their children, ages 10 and 6, walk home from their local park. Utah Senator Lincoln Fillmore said such overzealousness does not benefit anyone. “As a society, we’ve kind of erred as our pendulum has swung for children’s safety a little bit too much to the side of helicopter parenting, right? We want kids to be able to learn how to navigate the world so when they’re adults they’re fully prepared to handle things on their own,” he told a reporter after the law was passed.

 A suspended coffee is a cup of coffee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity. The idea 

was born in Italy, (26) someone who had experienced good luck would order a coffee by paying 

the price of two. The suspended drink (27) was reserved for someone who could not afford to pay 

for their own. Coffee shops in other countries have adopted the (28) to increase sales. 

          In April 2013, the UK arm of coffee chain Starbucks signed up for a charity initiative (29) the 

suspended coffee concept—to match the value of each suspended coffee with a cash donation for 

charity work. Other shops are (30) the idea to cover cookies and other food. 

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