As a parent, it makes me respect her less, and I've always been a Carol supporter. It seems like she is keeping this a secret from all the adults, since she waits until the man leaves and then starts her survival lesson.
I think parents should always have the last say, especially in a zombie apocalypse.
Finally, I'm in the camp that children need capable adults looking after them, and no matter how well you think you are teaching them about the dangers of the outside world, they are still children and will not be able to handle themselves like an adult. This applies to the real world as well. The biggest defense for a child to be safe is to have a caring adult looking after them, NOT teaching them to do it themselves.
Anyways, I know it's a bit different in a zombie apocalypse, but really, with all the adults that die left and right, most kids will not stand a chance, no matter how much training you give them.
I would disagree because, being a parent myself, I have learned that it is impossible for any adult to guarantee they will be with their children 24/7. That's what happened with Sophia. She was just a few feet away from Carol when that herd came up on them, but there was no way for Carol to get to her - or vice versa - without drawing the attention of the herd. They were stuck under separate cars so Carol could not do anything to protect Sophia or stop her from getting out from under the car too soon. Add in the fact that people have to sleep and you can't guarantee you will wake up before your child - or that they will wake you up when they get up. Not to mention the little things like going to the bathroom, bathing, changing clothes, etc... You can't have your kids stuck to your hip 24/7. It's just not possible and living in a world where anyone could find themselves in danger at any time, it would be irresponsible for any parent not to make sure their kids were taught to understand those dangers and be able to defend themselves.
However, I think this is exactly what Carol is dealing with at the prison because a lot of those parents would be from Woodbury where they had been sheltered and were having picnics with iced drinks. Their kids are still alive because of that, but at the same time, that prevented them from really understanding what is necessary to survive in this new world. Woodbury was a walker attack waiting to happen and they were just lucky that nothing truly horrible ever happened there. Now they're having to face reality and it wouldn't surprise me if some of those parents still want to believe that they can always be there to protect their kids and are still holding on to the notion that kids should be sheltered and protected. They're going to have to learn how to let go of that if they want their kids to survive.
I do think the fact that Carol is doing this in secret will result in some backlash on her, but I also think that Patrick's death and the subsequent walker attack is going to be a wake up call for anyone who is deluding themselves about being able to protect their kids 24/7. I think they are going to be caught sleeping - literally - and that's going to be a major lesson for all of them about the necessity of teaching the kids how to protect themselves. Carol might be going about this the wrong way at the moment, but ultimately, I think everyone will agree with her that it needs to be done - though that might take some time.