In Restoring Childhood, author, researcher, and psychology professor Peter Gray argues that children need something that seems to be missing from modern childhood: the freedom to play, explore, solve problems, and take age-appropriate risks without adults constantly directing them. When we assume children are fragile, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Overprotection leads to increased rates of anxiety and depression in children; but, as Restoring Childhood shows, independence builds children’s confidence, resilience, and emotional strength.