[Bring_Back_Shantz]

I think the whole "I want my kids to learn to be safe, so I'm not gonna make them wear helmets" is the most backwards thinking I've ever heard.

If you want your kids to be safe, make them safe by teaching them that one of the best ways to deal with risk/danger is to wear the right equipment.
In the workplace you would never say "Hey I want you guys to work safe, so no hardhats or safety glasses this week, that way you'll learn to respect the dangers", so why would you use that logic on your kids?

Sure we never wore helmets tobogganing when we were kids, but we didn't wear them skiing either and now 90% of people (including most adults) wear helmets when they ski. We are learning so much, it's not pussification, it's managing preventable (potentially major) injuries to your kids.