Er-- or the child has food allergies, or maybe diabetes? I think that one is a great example of how things which are "lifestyle" issues for people with some diagnoses/medical challenges can seem just plain odd or even like incredibly controlling parenting.
Some of what we do looks that way. We look like total helicopter parents-- though we're actually pretty laid back and very definitely authoritative (neither permissive nor dictatorial) in most ways.
Relative to my DD's friends, with a few exceptions, we're the "awesome" parents because of the things that we allow/permit/facilitate.
