1) Legally, 18. But the only people I know in the real world that are 'counting the days' to dump their kids out of the house at 18 should have been neutered in adolescence. You, as a parent, have a moral obligation to raise your child to be mature enough to not only be able to fend for themselves, but to be motivated enough to want to do it and to respect you as they do it. And yes, some irritating restrictions like curfews and controls on what/who you bring into the house are designed not only to teach responsibility and build character, but to help build the desire to build a life elsewhere independently. Bill Cosby isn't completely wrong when he tells graduating classes at University to move out on their own and not move 'back home'.


2) Yes. I guess if I had to put a limit on it, I'd have to say 25 years. If you can't raise your child to become a self-suficient adult in 25 years, then you have to start pushing them out of the nest and let their survival instincts take over.

3) Yes. The more you protect a child, the harder the lessons become later on when they learn them themselves. You should always try to teach your children and show them what the results of your experiances have been, but there comes a time when they'll roll their eyes & tune you out. These times are over issues that they'll have to learn the hard way.