Welcome to a breakpoint in a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of

unchanging truth.

For the Colston Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Last month, folks on the family in Colorado Springs hosted a celebration for the 1,000th episode of the beloved audio drama,

adventures, and Odyssey.

The event sold out well in advance with over 6,000 people visiting a decked out replica of Witts End. with

in its end and joining two live recordings.

Among the reasons, Adventures in Odyssey still means so much to so many is its enduring premise of a setting almost impossible to

imagine in the real world today. At this small town ice cream shop and

Discovery Emporium kids gain spiritual advice from a wise old inventor Mr. Whitaker.

It's a place of safe independence.

In contrast, American children today enjoy far less unsurveiled freedom.

In its place is a rigorous helicopter parenting style,

often outsourced to those who are able to provide constant supervision that we now consider

to be ideal.

That may be why we constantly hear just how intense,

how expensive, and how time-consuming parenting is

in 2024.

Though how we got here is a complex story, psychologist and author Jonathan

Height, and researcher Peter Gray have argued that the rise of high intensity

high anxiety parenting has been tough on our kids.

Children unable to choose or structure activities that are not micromanaged by an adult

...