Taking "Stranger Danger" Too Far

Lenore Skenazy has a series of aggravating anecdotes on the ways excessive "stranger danger" fears can interfere with normal social interactions, including the sorts of basic helpfulness that kids actually need. "I call it 'Worst-First' thinking," she writes: "Gripped by pedophile panic, we jump to the very worst, even least likely, conclusion first. Then we congratulate ourselves for being so vigilant."