Well, some aspects of being a child are
seriously limiting in terms of self-sufficiency and autonomy.
After all, no matter how mature a PG child might be, they
really do not possess the wisdom that ONLY comes with experiences. Mostly experiences that we wish we hadn't had-- if you see my point.
So ask yourself whether or not such a child could truly (for example) be entirely self-sufficient if lost on the subway... solicited by a child-predator... without cash and with no way home...
Can s/he cook and clean and pay bills for him/herself? Can s/he plan and budget for a home improvement project? Tell you how to maintain a car properly?
Kids
need parents-- even PG ones who are autodidacts need them. Why? Because they are still children, in spite of the huge vocabulary and stunning ability to acquire information. Information and understanding isn't the same thing as good judgment.
This is where things like "NO, I
won't stop playing video games and go to bed" comes from. Now, they may be right that they can function (minimally) at school just fine and never have their grades slip a bit with only 2-5 hours of sleep... but OTHER things would be problematic, and it's not good for development or social skills, certainly.
Kids are also much more self-centered than they will be when they are older. Ergo, it's unwise to hand them the reins when they basically make all of their decisions as little dictators.
THAT aspect of things is where "NO. You do
not have the right to treat your parents as household servants" comes from.
Negotiate away-- by all means, in fact. But do remember that "Because I'm your Mom/Dad" is a completely valid reason for some things that they simply lack the life experience or maturity to understand. I quit talking at that point with my DD, and she's been like this since she was about four, too.
She gets it from me, btw.
