Independent mind : I think/act so because 'I' believe so.

Warning: You may not agree with the author. :)

I believe, one of the most important responsibility of parents is to give their children the gift of independent decision making.

Independent decision making is taking decisions squarely on the basis of self understanding of situation and taking the responsibility for the uncertain result (means Nobody to blame, if it bombed! Just Face the music). In short it is about taking the risk and absorbing the results.This type of decision making teaches a lot of lessons in life and On the brighter side : It prevents regretting "What might have been if I had done that." It also reduces tendency to  look over shoulder to see the parent's nod.

It is relinquishing your authority on child for the decisions He is passionate about. A child carries a lot of common thinking with his parents because He grew up learning from their actions and behavior.But still he would not do everything like you would do. He would make his own mistakes, some them avoidable some inevitable, and importantly learn from them.

Some parents, in a bid to protect their child from making mistakes and getting hurt, expect to always analyse situations for the child and make decisions for him.

I believe after a certain age parents should start advising their children and relinquish that 'controlling nod' your child has grown accustomed to just like you let go off the bicycle when he started pedaling because only then he learned to handle the bicycle, same is with life. :)