If you are a parent, then you can definitely relate to the natural urge to want to do everything possible to keep your children safe and secure. However, that natural urge can sometimes transition itself into becoming a bit overbearing. Although you don’t mean any harm, when your parenting style makes this transition, does it hurt your children in the long run? Some experts seem to think so.
According to a recent study that followed 422 children, for a period over eight-years, at ages two, five, and ten, researchers deduced that over-controlling parenting became associated with poor emotional, behavioral, and social problems.
“It is important to let your child make mistakes,” Dr. Vanessa Jensen of Cleveland Clinic Children’s said in an interview although she was not a part of the study. “If you are the parent constantly bringing little Johnny or little Judy back in as soon as they’re going too far from the nest, like a mamma chick – there isn’t the chance to make mistakes, and we all know that we learn from mistakes. Often times, you have a parent who is simply responding to their child’s behavior and needs. Also, it is important to be somewhat protective, and to be cautious, especially in our current culture.”
Additionally, she added that, “if a child is more outgoing – more impulsive or more likely to get in trouble – then you may need to be a parent who puts more limits on,” she said. “If your child is more cautious and stays closer to you, you might be the opposite – you might want to encourage them to take more risks.”
Unfortunately, parenting doesn’t come with a “how-to” manual, but the more you get to know your child, the more you can adapt your parenting style to best fit their needs. Sound off. We want to hear from you. What is your parenting style? Do you believe that “over parenting” does more harm than good?
