I was told a parent's job was
to prepare their children to be adults

Shower them with unconditional love and
let them know they can be whatever they dream
Another part of the process, however,
was helping them build their inner core,
their resilience which will be
required to bounce back from life's
twists, tumbles and unfortunate events.
That which they learn from, failures included,
makes them stronger.

So, what of these bowling bumper guards?
It sure makes the kids feel great that they
will hit pins no matter how the ball is released
No chance to end up in the gutter,
no real need to practice their form,
to experience the pain of the infamous "gutter ball"
Everyone can be happy with mediocre performance.

Am I the only one who sees the major parallels
with an America gone soft?

We start the process at a very early age now...