Great article here. The pampering of kids that age is, frankly, ridiculous. I can't tell you how many times I see it Oak Hill or CCR: a father and his young son/daughter go out to play a few holes, and the dad says, "well I would be walking, but Jimmy/Sally here wanted to take a cart." Geez, from when I first started playing the game, my dad said "you're walking, and you only need a couple of clubs." My first big junior tournament? The Rochester Pee Wee Championship. Most kids had their parents caddying for them. Me? I was carrying my own bag, of course. That taught me a lot about the game: how it was an individual but social sport, how to play the game correctly (walking), and how to rely on myself. I couldn't imagine how I would approach the game if my father didn't introduce me to it that way.
Fortunately, there is hope. All of the guys I grew up playing the game with got into golf the same way: playing with their parents and friends, walking, learning as they went. A couple even got college scholarships out of it! Not because they were forced into it, but because they really love the game.