Excellent Brightstar, agreed 1,000%! Yes there is a psychology of dependence and submission formed early, but it's not an automatic life sentence. If we, as mothers and fathers, do our kids justice, they will make the transition, with our loving help, from the age of minority to that of majority. We are either governed by ourselves, or we are governed by the state, and at the age of majority, one need no state. I would only say that it is the U.S. (a democracy) that is a culture of submissiveness and dependency, for the U.S IS the state. Only in America (the republic) will we find the age of majority. It is sparsely populated at present. Here's to hoping that changes. Thanks for the great post.