It seems like every week there's a new Permit Patty (a grown woman who called the police on an eight-year-old selling water without a permit), BBQ Becky (another grown woman who called the police on a man BBQing without a permit), or someone who calls the police on a lemonade stand.

Beyond being an irritant and filling society with busybodies of the worst type—who calls the police on kids?—these people are indicative of something deeper. These people are indicative of the infantilization of the American adult.

Schools, Tattletales, and the Permission-Based Mindset

One of the defining characteristics of a child is an inability to solve disputes well. When somebody throws a temper tantrum, you tell them, "You're acting like a child," "grow up," and "act like an adult."