Neighborhood Kids Being Coddled

I have had to change up my work schedule a bit this week.  In doing so, I have noticed the neighborhood kids both in the morning and in the afternoon.  These kids are all soft I tells ya!  In the morning while waiting for the bus at the designated area, most kids have their parents in tow.  I have seen parents escort their young'uns on the bus.  Some kids even wait in their parent's car while waiting for the bus.  This begs the question, "if you can devote that much time and effort to getting your kid on the bus, why not just drive them to the school?".  When the kids are dropped off the bus in the evening, the same over-protective parents are camped out waiting for them.  I have actually seen parents bring the child's Razor scooter or their bicycle to make the trip back home that much easier.  The kicker was the rainy day when I saw a parent meet the child at the bus with an awaiting umbrella.  Not that big of deal, except that they walked the kid less than a few yards to the car. 

How are kids today going to ever toughen up when the parents are waiting on them hand and foot?