Could you be suffering from fear-based parenting?

Are your anxieties leading you to inhibit or prevent your child from exploring their world or reaching their developmental milestones?

We have selected this video because it makes a very important point: when we fall into the trap of constantly monitoring and interfering with our children’s lives and activities, (often referred to as ‘helicopter parenting’) it creates anxiety in our children. Not surprisingly, this sense of being watched and ‘directed’ by their parents weakens children’s self-confidence and their willingness to trust in their own abilities. Perhaps ironically, helicopter parenting can lead us parents to feel so guilty for the pressure we are putting on our children, that we then try to compensate by overindulging or spoiling them.

So rather than hyper-scheduling our children, wouldn’t it be better to allow them space for imaginative playtime, where they can ‘cut their teeth’ and start learning problem-solving for themselves? Similarly, however great the temptation, we should avoid interfering in our children’s social lives. For only when we allow our kids to work out their own friendships, will they truly understand how to empathise with, and learn from other people.

Hard as it might be for us to relinquish full control, the fact is that if we allow our children to ‘struggle through’ and learn through hard experience, they will grow up knowing that they are able to handle life’s challenges. Self-esteem comes not from feeling entitled, but from the pride that comes from pushing ourselves in order to achieve something of value.