Overprotective

While giving the infant sessions, we had many questions asked about raw eggs. Apparently in Kenya, it is common to give babies only barely cooked egg because it's easier to eat than fully cooked egg. One mother even told us that a remedy for a cough and cold that has been passed down for generations is the following:

1 Raw Egg
Lemon Juice
Goat fat

Apparently that recipe will cure anything. Obviously we have to advise against feeding raw eggs to babies and children due to the potential salmonella they contain but it's hard to argue with generations and generations of tradition. Not only are babies fed raw eggs, but it's not uncommon to see a young child wandering around on his or her own without even a house in sight never mind a parent. I can't help but wonder if western societies are simply way to overprotective. I don't plan on feeding my kids raw eggs are setting them loose in the neighborhood at the age of 3 like we see here, but perhaps we've taken it to the opposite extreme. At home, kids are barely allowed to ride their bikes around the block by themselves at the age of 10 and are always being watched to make sure they don't fall or make a mess. I'm thinking there has to be some kind of happy medium.