Why do young adult children become independent much later than they did in 1970, when the average age of independent living was 21? Why is the mental health of today’s kids not so good as that of children in the 1960s and before?

The answer lies in two words: parental involvement (参与). Those two words best show the difference between “old” child raising and new, post-1960s parenting. Back then, parents were not to be highly involved with their kids. They were there in case of crisis (危机), but they stood a safe distance from their kids and allowed them to experience the benefits of the trial-and-error process (试错过程). They gave their children long ropes and made them lie in the beds they made and stew in their own juices. That was how children learned to be responsible and determined.

Today’s parents, however, help their kids with almost everything. They organize their children’s games, social lives and after-school activities. They help their kids with homework, help them study for tests, help them solve the disagreement with classmates, and get involved.

Researchers studied 30 years’ data of parent involvement in children’s growth. They found that parental help with homework lowers a child’s school achievement. Parents who manage a child’s social life prevent the children developing good social skills. Parents who manage a child’s after-school activities grow kids who don’t know how to fill their own free time. Parents who get involved in their kids’ disagreements with classmates grow kids who don’t know how to avoid trouble.

These kids have anxieties and fears of all sorts and don’t want to leave home. And their parents, when the time comes, don’t know how to stop being parents.

【小题1】Why did the writer use the questions at the beginning?

A．To blame the young adult children.

B．To acquire answers to the questions.

C．To introduce the topic of the text.

D．To make a proposal for today’s parents.

【小题2】How did children learn to be responsible and determined?

A．By experiencing the crisis all alone.

B．By rising to the challenges independently.

C．By lying in bed and stewing in their juices.

D．By parents being highly involved with them.

【小题3】What is the writer’s attitude towards today’s parents?

A．Supportive.	B．Unfavorable.
C．Unclear.	D．Concerned.

【小题4】Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Lost Parents.	B．Be Independent.
C．Relationship on the rocks.	D．Let Kids Grow Wings.