No. The job of a parent is to raise a child so they can know what's best for themselves and be able to handle problems without you. Most adults think with little evidence that they know what's best for their child. I've talked to many adults who think that their child should go to Harvard, or should go into a trade school, or shouldn't hang out with risk-taking friends, or shouldn't be gay, or should go to church. Outside of the very obvious situations where immediate safety is at risk, I don't see the evidence that most parents know what's best for their child. It's just arrogance. You should be trying to raise a capable adult rather than be protecting a foolish child for 18 years.
I remember reading somewhere that job of a parent is to teach the kid how to swim. It is a terrifying proposition since I am not always sure I know how to.
I mostly agree with you. But I also know there is a blurry line there. For example, I did some stupid stuff as a kid and it is a good things parents were there to intervene. I would not call their concern for my risk taking in that instance to be arrogant today.
But that is my perception of my individual upbringing. I have no real knowledge how parenting looks 'on average'. I know I was lucky in some ways; unlucky in others.
This is where it gets complicated, because the advice we get for parenting is a generic advice for a typically specific issue.
I am writing this as an expecting parent so take my musings as just that.
