Warren v. District of Columbia “is a District of Columbia Court of Appeals case that held that the police do not owe a specific duty to provide police services to specific citizens based on the public duty doctrine.” And Castle Rock v. Gonzales, is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled, 7–2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for refusing to enforce a restraining order, even though the refusal led to the murders of a woman’s three children by her estranged husband.

Relevant XKCD https://xkcd.com/37/

My uncle is really critical of his kids athletic abilities (as well as his own), and they are now really negative about their own abilities, and my uncle doesn’t understand why they don’t want to try. I golfed with my cousin today (my uncle in the group behind) and I made it a point to compliment him and have a good time, and he golfed better than normal—not necessarily as good as his inner critic wanted—and had more fun golfing with family than normal. Positive reinforcement always seems more effective to me in helping people grow to meet their hopes and expectations, there are other times to have grounding conversations about whether their hopes and expectations are realistic or attainable, but not when they’re eager and trying.