Itisnecessarytobeaninvolvedparentbutbeingoverprotectivecanbeharmful.Takeaquicklookatthedrawbacksofbeinganoverprotectiveparent.Beingoverprotectivetoyourchildrenisnotwelcomedatallbykids.Theyfeelsuffocatedsometimesifyouconstantlyfreakoutwiththem.Involvementdoesnotmeanbeingoverprotectivetokids.EveryoneirrespectiveoftheirageslikestolivealifeofIndependenceandsoyourkids.Bybeingoverprotectiveyouaresimplydestroyingyourchild’sIndependence.Youshouldgetinvolvedinyourchild’sactivitiesbutyoushouldalsoknowwheretodrawtheline.Bygettinginvolvedwithyourkidsyouarehelpingthemgrowinterestinthingsthattheymightnotlikeinthebeginning,butwithyourinvolvementtheywillgraduallystartlikingthosethings.Beinginvolvedandbeingoverprotectivearealtogethertwodifferenttermsandareneversimilar.Overprotectiveparentingcanhavealotofsideeffects,someofwhicharediscussedbelow.InthisarticleRiskTakingAttitudeFaceEmbarrassmentInhibitingMaturityDestroyingHappinessLoweringConfidenceDrawbacksofBeinganOverprotectiveParentHereiswhyyoumustpreferbeinganinvolvedparentandavoidbeingoverprotective.RiskTakingAttitudeIfyouconstantlyprotectyourkidsfromfacinganykindsofhardshipsinlife,youaresimplyhamperingtherisktakingattitudeofyourkids.Thiswillmakeyourkidscaredoftakinganyrisksinlifeandremembernorisknogain.Iftheyfearoftakingupchallengesinlifethatwouldmeantheyaresurrenderingthemselvestofatemuchbeforethestartoftheirhonestendeavour.FaceEmbarrassmentItisalwaysgoodtoknowwhereyourkidsaregoingandwhotheirfriendsare.But,whentheygrowolderandifyoufollowthemeverywheretheygo,itisamatterofutterembarrassmentfortheminfrontoftheirfriends.Yourkidsmightnotbearsuchanembarrassmentfromtheirfriends.Everyonewilltagthembydifferentanamewhichisaninsultforthem.Sostopfollowingthemandlettheirlivetheirlifeintheirownway.InhibitingMaturityAfteraparticularageitisimportantthatyouletyourchildrendothingsontheirown.Buttherearesomeparentswhostillthinkthattheirchildrenarenotbigenoughtohandleeverythingevenaftertheyhaveenteredtheindependentworld.Bydoingthisyouaresimplyquestioningtheirmaturitywhichnoonecantakeforgranted.Letthemhandlesmallproblemsthemselvesandthenonlytheywilllearnhowthingsaredoneinthisworld.Ifyoucontinuesolvingproblemsontheirbehalf,therewillbeatimewhentheywillneedyouthemost,andyoumaynotbeavailablethen.RememberManisMortal.Everyonehastoleavetheworldatsomepointoftime.Ifyouoverprotectyourchildrennow,youaremakingthemdependentonyou.Alwaysthinkwhatwilltheydowhenyouwillnotbetherebytheirside?DestroyingHappinessByoverprotectingyourkidyouaremakingeverythingreadysothattheyfacenoproblemingettingthingsdone.Butareyoureallymakingyourkidshappybydoingthis?Thinktwice.Theansweris“no”.Youareactuallystealingtheirhappinessbycreatingarmouroverthemwhichtheyactuallywanttobreakthroughandtakeadeepbreath.Yourobsessionactuallycreatesastressfulenvironmentthattheyhatetolivein.Whenkidsgrow-up,theywantanindependentlifewheretheycanliveintheirownway,taketheirowndecisionsandfacestheirownconsequencesiftheydoanythingwrong.Theyhavenobodytoblamethen.Theywanttheirlifetobestressfreeandyoubeingsomuchoverprotectiveactuallysuffocatethemsomuchthattheyalwaystrytofindoutwaystoescape.However,itisnecessaryforyoutoavoidburdeningyourchildwithyourdecisionsandbetheretoproviderightguidanceateverystep.LoweringConfidenceWhenyourchildrengeteverythinghandytheylosetheirselfconfidence.Theybegintothinkthattheyarenotcapableofdoingthingsintheproperwayortheirparentsdonottrustthemsotheydoeverythingforthem.Thesenegativeimpulsesareveryharmfulforyourchildren.Soletyourkidsdothingsinthewaythatsuitsthem.Guidethemintheproperwaybutdonotbeoverprotectivesomuchthatyourchildrenloseinterestintheirwork.Whatisthedifferencebetweenbeinginvolvedandbeingoverprotective?Whataredrawbacksofbeinganoverprotectiveparent?Howdoesbeinganinvolvedparenthelpchildren?Discusshere.
It is necessary to be an involved parent but being overprotective can be harmful. Take a quick look at the drawbacks of being an overprotective parent.Being overprotective to your children is not welcomed at all by kids. They feel suffocated sometimes if you constantly freak out with them. Involvement does not mean
being overprotective to kids. Everyone irrespective of their ages likes to live a life of Independence and so your kids.
By being overprotective you are simply destroying your child’s Independence. You should get involved in your child’s activities but you should also know where to draw the line. By getting involved with your kids you are helping them grow interest in things that they might not like in the beginning, but with your involvement they will gradually start liking those things.
Being involved and being overprotective are altogether two different terms and are never similar. Overprotective
parenting can have a lot of side effects, some of which are discussed below.
Drawbacks of Being an Overprotective Parent
Here is why you must prefer being an
involved parent and avoid being overprotective.
Risk Taking Attitude
If you constantly protect your kids from facing any kinds of hardships in life, you are simply hampering the risk taking attitude of your kids. This will make your kid scared of taking any risks in life and remember no risk no gain. If they fear of
taking up challenges in life that would mean they are surrendering themselves to fate much before the start of their honest endeavour.
Face Embarrassment
It is always good to know where your kids are going and who their friends are. But, when they grow older and if you follow them everywhere they go, it is a matter of utter embarrassment for them in front of their friends. Your kids might not bear such an embarrassment from their friends. Everyone will tag them by different a name which is an insult for them. So stop following them and let their live their life in their own way.
Inhibiting Maturity
After a particular age it is important that you let your children do things on their own. But there are some parents who still think that their children are not big enough to handle everything even after they have entered the independent world. By doing this you are simply questioning their maturity which no one can take for granted.
Let them handle small problems themselves and then only they will learn how things are done in this world. If you continue solving problems on their behalf, there will be a time when they will need you the most, and you may not be available then. Remember Man is Mortal. Everyone has to leave the world at some point of time. If you overprotect your children now, you are making them dependent on you. Always think what will they do when you will not be there by their side?
Destroying Happiness
By overprotecting your kid you are making everything ready so that they face no problem in getting things done. But are you really making your kids happy by doing this? Think twice. The answer is “no”. You are actually stealing their happiness by creating armour over them which they actually want to break through and take a deep breath.
Your obsession actually creates a stressful environment that they hate to live in. When kids grow-up, they want an independent life where they can live in their own way, take their own decisions and faces their own consequences if they do anything wrong. They have nobody to blame then. They want their life to be stress free and you being so much overprotective actually suffocate them so much that they always try to find out ways to escape. However, it is necessary for you to avoid burdening your child with your decisions and be there to provide right guidance at every step.
Lowering Confidence
When your children get everything handy they lose their self confidence. They begin to think that they are not capable of doing things in the proper way or their parents do not trust them so they do everything for them. These negative impulses are very harmful for your children.
So let your kids do things in the way that suits them. Guide them in the proper way but do not be overprotective so much that your children lose interest in their work.
What is the difference between being involved and being overprotective? What are drawbacks of being an overprotective parent? How does being an involved parent help children? Discuss here.
