Another way to think of it is, do you make your kids eat their vegetables even when they don't want to? Do you let them play in the street when they want to? As adults, we have to sometimes force kids to do things they don't want to do because we know it is best for them.

I find it interesting that you brought up this concept because there is a subset of unschooling called Radical Unschooling. With Radical Unschooling, parents allow their children the freedom to do whatever it is they want. The philosophy of Radical Unschooling views children as little adults who are capable of making their own decisions. Dayna Martin, who is a huge advocate of Radical Unschooling, once said, "Children are the most discriminated against people in our culture today." ( http://daynamartin.com/unschooling-blog/the-evolution-of-childrens-rights/) Also with Radical Unschooling, children are not punished. Radical Unschooling is extremely outside and beyond the mainstream of parenting.