Do you constantly worry about your child’s safety? Do you check in with your child every two hours for updates? Do you fret about your child’s diet, their friend circle, the kind of content they consume…and everything else that is a part of their life?
This need to control all aspects of your child’s life comes from a need of ensuring they are safe in this horrible world. While this is a lovely sentiment, when done too much, overprotective parenting can have a negative effect on the child’s growth.
To give you a better understanding of parenting, we got in touch with Dr Kavita Gohil, Paediatrician, from Zen Multispeciality Hospital, Mumbai. Here’s all you need to know if you’re an overprotective parent who just can’t let your child be.
Firstly, what are the signs of an overprotective parent
Permissive parents are afraid to set limits on children or believe a child should be allowed to be true to their own nature. However, overprotective parents think otherwise. They can’t let their child be exposed to the outside world without supervision. They always want to protect their children from any bad experiences, hardships, and failures. Dr Kavita explains the symptoms saying: “Overprotective parenting style involves–sheltering, constant supervision and micromanagement, excessive consoling, controlling social sphere, excessive caution, and dependency.”
Overprotected children lack the ability to deal with hardships in real life
Overprotective parents in general, are very fearful that their child might grow up to be destructive or uncontrollable. Dr Kavita said, “Parents in this category are fearful of everything when it comes to their children and expect bad things to happen. Sheltering children only makes them extremely dependent and unable to cope with hardships in the real world. They will not know how to use critical thinking skills. Their frustration tolerance can be low and anxiety can be high.”
Children are affected even in school and college
If you thought overprotectiveness has adverse effects only at home, you’re wrong. Your child’s dependence will manifest itself in different ways. In school, they’ll depend too much on their teachers, and will find someone to lean on as they grow older. Dr Kavita explains an overprotected child could become a difficult student who lacks maturity. The child could also have a sense of entitlement. She said, “These children are easy target for bullies, and while they are academically ahead, they lack social knowledge of age-appropriate life situations.”
In fact, not just in school, they also face challenges in college. She further elaborated on how they become socially unrelatable. Also, some become so dependent on their parents that they are incapable of living independently. The decision-making ability of such kids is severely compromised.
It gets worse when they enter a workspace
Perhaps the worst comes when they step into work life and are often said to possess adult child traits. Dr Kavita explains, “Over the years, overprotection leads to difficult times at work. Fulfilling their tasks, being overly responsible or irresponsible, getting impulsive and self-loathing are some of the major issues they go through.”
Dear moms, at times, too much love, care, and attention can be harmful to your child, the only mantra is to just let them be and trust your instincts.
