"all my life I have never heard a mother call out to her child as he or she goes off to school, "Take a lot of risks today, darling." She is more likely to convey to her child, "Be careful, darling." This "Be careful" carries with it a double message: "The world is really dangerous out there" ... and ... "you won't be able to handle it." What Mom is really saying, of course, is, "If something happens to you, I won't be able to handle it." You see, she is only passing on her lack of trust in her ability to handle what comes her way."