A man was arrested for leaving his three children at a McDonalds alone, which sparked a viral debate all around one question: have parents become too overprotective? The Brett Cooper Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bbrettcooper By joining Cooper Confidential you are directly supporting me and my team. You’ll get ad-free episodes, exclusive ‘Dear Brett” videos, and a private newsletter Sign up now: https://cooperconfidential.supercast.com/ Peterson Academy: Join today for $59 a month! https://petersonacademy.com/brett Good Ranchers: Get a year of FREE MEAT and $40 off with code BRETT: https://www.goodranchers.com An Evening With Brett Cooper Tickets Now on Sale! Austin: https://www.capcitycomedy.com/events/111681 Atlanta: https://atlanta.heliumcomedy.com/events/111709 Irvine: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/brett-cooper-irvine-improv-tickets/14302563?pl=irvineimprov Huntsville: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/brett-cooper-huntsville-levity-live-tickets/14302583?pl=sul-huntsville Addison: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/brett-cooper-addison-improv-tickets/14305563?pl=addisonimprov Houston: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/brett-cooper-houston-improv-tickets/14305603?pl=houstonimprov Phoenix: https://phoenix.standuplive.com/shows/309839 Miami: https://www.miamiimprov.com/shows/309840 FTL: https://www.daniaimprov.com/shows/309841 #BrettCooper #TheBrettCooperShow #BrettCooperShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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So this might be crazy to think about in 2025, considering everything that we have heard about New York City and the subway system. But when I was a kid and I was in New York visiting my family who has lived there for 30 years, when I was auditioning, doing acting classes and dance classes, I would very frequently ride the subway alone.
And this is not the only thing that I did independently as a kid. My mom was 100% committed to raising independent, resilient kids. And that started with doing things alone confidently. But apparently that is very controversial.
So a recent story about a father being arrested for leaving his three children at a local McDonald's has blown the entire helicopter parenting debate into the limelight in a major way on social media, which also perfectly coincides with a movement that author and psychologist Jonathan Haidt has been pushing in a debate that my friend Alex Clark has literally been having on her own social media this week.
And so the questions that we need to dive into today are how much freedom do young children actually need? How much is too dangerous? And why are modern parents so damn afraid of childhood independence? But before we dive into that story, make sure that you are following our podcast page and please rate the show if you are enjoying it.
And if you want to come join me on tour this spring, we will link all of the stops and the links to buy tickets in the description below. I hope that I get to see all of your beautiful faces in person and meet a bunch of you.
All right, so you guys might have seen this story already because it went mega viral last week on X, but basically this huge story broke on X last week after a father in Augusta, Georgia was arrested for allegedly leaving his three children alone at a McDonald's while he attended a job interview nearby.
One headline from Everything Georgia reads, a 24-year-old Augusta man was arrested for leaving his children, ages one, six, and 10, alone at a McDonald's while he attended a nearby job interview.
And this story alone broke open a whole debate about childhood independence and autonomy and the changing trends between generations because, for a lot of people, they saw this as completely normal and permissible based on their own childhoods. For example, my friend Hannah Cox, who was actually my boss when I was writing at the Foundation for Economic Education,
She tweeted and said, Another person said, This man did nothing wrong. Safetyism is destroying society. And guys, based on this, I completely agree. Like, I think back to my childhood, which really wasn't that long ago. And at 10 years old, I had just gotten my Red Cross babysitter certification. I knew CPR. I was actively working as a babysitter and a mother's helper. I was doing pet sitting.
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