Trying to tackle an issue as huge as 'power' was not wise, especially for a short, powerless blog.  However, I feel I must clarify certain points I made in last week's post and respond to several comments.
"With power comes responsibility".  I wholeheartedly agree.  When  children are given power, it should be explained to them that the consequences of their decisions cannot be blamed on anyone except themselves, if the decision was a wrong one.  As I said, the freedom to make mistakes teaches us the real meaning of responsibility, and this should be a vital part of every child's life. But if you are not permitted power you will not learn what responsibility means.
As Adlai Stevenson said "Power corrupts, but powerlessness corrupts absolutely".  Children who have no power, give up caring and seek power wherever they can find it, whether that means killing insects with glee or joining a gang.  This goes to the heart of why gangs exist.  They give power to young people who have little or none.  Of course, this kind of power is an illusion, and a dangerous one at that, but it is understandable why so many are attracted to gang-life - it makes them feel powerful. 
There is nothing for parents and teachers to give up on, except the child as a human being.  All they have to do is give children the power to change their lives, learning along the way how to handle power sensibly.
Many schools have school councils, which is window-dressing on a huge scale.  Most councils have no right to change anything in the school except perhaps the colour of the pupils' toilets.  Neill of Summerhill and Lane of The Little Commonwealth found that many of the most balanced and insightful opinions and decisions were often made at school meetings by the children, sometimes by 9 and 10 year olds.
On the subject of kids' rights and responsibilities, I often encountered this at the last secondary school I was in.  In fact, none of the pupils really knew their actual, legal rights.  They blurted out these comments to stir teachers, something I never responded to, except to indulge in a bit of banter and occasionally to tell them what their rights were.
It is very difficult to set the standard of power with responsibility, when all around are glaring examples of the opposite. Far too many leaders and institutions of our societies have indulged in power without responsibility.  Powerful companies such as Distillers (the Thalidomide case) and Union Carbide (the Bhopal disaster), plus mass-killers, such as Henry Kissinger and George W. Bush literally get away with murder, taking no responsibility for their actions.  So it is not easy to teach a child ethics in a world of hypocrisy, with greedy bankers stealing as a profession and avoiding justice.  So too with politicians who make decisions that are damaging to society and yet never admit to making a wrong decision or apologising to the public.
I could go on, but I won't.  Not for this week anyway.