In this great effort at being perfect parents, most parents end up being overprotective parents! Are you one of them?
Are you..
- Always imagining something horrible will happen to your child, if you are not around?
- Suspicious of house help / relatives who offer to care for your child?
- Waiting for your child to trip so you can gather him in your arms?
- The type who won't leave the child alone, ever?
- Consider parenting a 24 X 7 moral duty?
If your answer to more than one question, is Yes, you qualify as an over protective Parent!
Where's the Harm?
It all starts with effective parenting and great love for one's child. But it degenerates into over protective parenting, which can be stifling, stunting and even harmful for your child. How can it harm your child?
- The child will get completely dependent on you
- It will not allow him to take independent decisions eg. What to eat or wear
- He will not be able to fend for himself
- It aborts the joy of discovery and learning
- It may stunt his mental growth
- Other children may ridicule him
- Parting from parents will become a painful, and not a natural process
- You sow the seed for childhood insecurities which may later manifest as psychological insecurities
Remember you are the role model for your child. So, when he grows up, he's going to become an over protective parent too!
What can you do?
There is no magical formula to know what is right and what is not, when it comes to parenting. However, we give you some guidelines to make things easier..
- Strike a balance between letting your child be and taking care of him and his needs.
- Ask him to think for himself: " what do you want to wear?" Empower him with decision making skills
- Get yourself a distraction / hobby or something to do. Being obsessive about kids can ruin your life and theirs!
- Allow him to make friends. Its important he interacts with people his age.
- Allow him to have fun in a safe environment.
- Let him learn from his mistakes.
Remember there is a very thin line between love and suffocation. Love your child by all means, but don't suffocate him with your love / concern. Most often over protective parents do! Ironically, perhaps it is you who needs to "grow up"...
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