About "free" thinking. If we become open minded and cognitively less biased is caused by mixture of many deterministic and random events that have happened throughout our lives. Simply, we are lucky to have developed ability for "free" thinking. Especially in this society which does not support it.
I totally agree with you on this one. And my exposure on these stories certainly does not mean that they were what caused me to develop a more individual way of thinking. This is actually a very good point.
Personally, I was exposed to many different (intellectual) stimuli while growing up. Which is why I think that its a very helpful practice to teach children how to think for themselves. Most parents tend to hide certain realities from their children- they avoid talking openly about death, sex, religion and other sensitive subjects. My parents were open about all subjects and I was allowed to read books and watch movies about any topic.
Kids who are exposed to these stories are not necessarily improving their critical analysis skills, but kids who are exposed to a wide range of ideologies including these are very likely to, as there will come a point where one concept defies the other. The human mind mainly works with comparisons, thus the more reference points, the broader the perspective.
Interesting point about referencing information.
You had very cool parents who seem to be great role models for you.