The synthetic world of modern technology provides an unreal environment that yields unreal consequences. If you get into trouble, hit the ''undo'' button, or just switch off. Avoidance of failure - and its real-world consequences - is at your fingertips. Real consequences for poor judgment or reckless thrill-seeking are nil. Spend some time looking at the current offerings of video games, or ask any teen who's been a victim of cyber-bullying how people could be so cruel, and you'll see what I mean.

Now imagine giving these same teenagers who have grown up in this unreal world the keys to a car. Can we really expect that they have a refined capacity for judging their own limits? Do they understand the gravity of failure enough to maintain a margin of safety in risky situations, such as a wet road or driving at speed? How could they? They have never felt the pain of falling off their bike and grazing their knees.

Likewise, their parents haven't been sharing their journey in learning about risk to become confident they can manage such dangers. Their parents are now scared stiff of the unknown and untested capacities of their child to make good decisions and keep themselves safe in the real world. They can't even begin a dialogue with them about sensible judgment and personal safety, because they've never had this conversation before. I bet Jessica's parents did, and I bet they don't lose sleep at night when she's out, or when she gets her driver's licence.

For parents to keep their kids safe, they need to encourage and teach them to take risks, starting in childhood so being a ''risk mentor'' is a natural and integral part of their relationship. With life experience, and through example, they have much to teach their children about how to be ''risk literate''. This is not only essential to bringing up psychologically equipped young people, but also for their own psychological health and peace of mind. Parents who can take risks, and can teach their children to do likewise, remain relevant and therefore influential over their children. Scared parents offer little except an example of fear and defeat.

We grow through taking risks. Parents need to be the masters, and their children willing students. Jessica Watson and her parents' achievement is great because they have given us such a vivid example of how to be parents in the modern world, and how as a young person to grow into adulthood. One of the surprising joys parenthood can bring is when we ourselves are compelled to learn to take risks for our children's benefit. It's the way they give back to us.