A Jourey of 1,000 Miles

[Steve85]

When you have kids you introduce an incredible burden on your life, and often of the rest of your family - so its a bit selfish to then look at them and accuse them of burdening you. Know what I'm getting at? If you werent involved in something 'high risk' then you're not suddenly off the hook of being at risk of burdening your family in some way.

You did not need to list the burdens but you left out something very important...the burden evolves over time. A parent has every right to ask an independent grown child to not engage is riskier than necessary behavior that could result in reverting that burden to the daily tending of that child. His moms job/burden of changing diapers and tending to his daily basic survival needs has passed. It is the responsibility of the child to minimize the risk of putting that burden BACK on his parents. Selfish is a two way street.

For example...if my 4 year old has an accident in his pants, I will clean him and change him. If my 14 year old does the same...she is on her own, that burden has passed. Many more examples exist...

And asking your child not do something that scares the shit out of you is not selfish, it's being a parent.