Nasty Nanny
" The more help a person has in his garden, the less it belongs to him ."—William H. Davies, poet This fable is plays on our worst childhood images—wicked stepmothers, scary witches, and helpless innocent children, and even a few ugly stepsisters. It features the worst elements of Hansel and Gretel , Cinderella , and Snow White . Unfortunately, this myth looms beyond the next sunset, the evil is our own government, and you may not be the hero or the victim but one of feckless characters, whom we recognize as more bad than good, reminiscent of “ the boy who cried wolf .” In the real world, children must grow up or they will be retarded, handicapped in the strongest sense of the word. When a child fails to mature, wise parents usually seek professional help to correct the problem. On the other hand, some parents, well-meaning or themselves emotionally troubled, smother their children stunting their emotional growth or sparking rebellion. Most of us understand