And that's how you get adults who are anti-social and awkward around other adults once they get into the "real world". The WORST thing you can do is take them out of a situation(s) where they cannot handle what's going on.
If you want to ensure that your child can handle these situations, let them experience it and then sit down with them and talk about it and how they could handle it better. And I don't mean by going to an authoritative figure or just running from a situation. Coming from a smart girl who was picked on in elementary school, I learn to better cope with those situations because my own mother sat me down, let me explain what happened, told me to get tough and what I could do to make the situation better for me next time. I was never in a physical fight. I used my brain and developed the wit to get back at my bullies. By the time I was in middle school, I wasn't really bothered, and when I was I had myself and others to back me up. Yes, I sometimes was called a goodie-good but I was sociable with others while making straight A's.
Some parents are the problem by hindering a child from developing in all aspects. Helicopter parents, IMO, are the worst out there.
