Effects Of Over Parenting: What You Need To Know

The common sight in most households is parents hovering like a helicopter. And it's the first sign of distress—doing homework for your kids, adhering to every request of them; while overparenting comes from a place of love, it can result in some serious long-term impact on your kids. The truth is—sometimes getting too involved in kids does more harm than good.

Did you know almost one of every four parents is overly involved in their child’s life? Of course, it’s the natural instinct of parents to want the best for their kids, but overparenting has some consequences that you might be ignorant of. This parenting approach easily robs off your little one’s independence and opportunity to get creative.

Read this article to learn about the long-term effects of overparenting and how you can still make some healthy adjustments to your parenting style.

By overparenting, we mean the situation when parents go above and beyond just providing support and interfering in each and every little aspect of life. From making decisions to solving problems, though it may seem a little protective, it can result in some undesirable consequences in your little one’s life.

Here are some long-term impacts of overparenting you must know about.

Lack of Independence

The fact is—kids who have experienced overparenting in their childhood are likely less capable of solving challenges that come along their way on their own. And they seek someone to indulge and fix every life problem. With this parenting approach, parents unintentionally feed in the idea that their kids are incapable of doing things by themselves.

Anxiety and Stress

While overparenting may seem like the desire to protect your kids from anxiety, ironically, it actually has the opposite effect. This is because such kids never get the opportunity to deal with challenges independently. Moreover, a study suggests that such kids also feel a tremendous pressure to match their parents’s expectations.

Relationship Concerns

Difficulty in relationships is one such aspect that accompanies overparenting, which takes a toll on your kid’s ability to form healthy relationships. Such kids not only face difficulty in interacting with others but also struggle in their relationships with bosses or teachers as they lack the learning to take responsibilities on their own.

Lack of problem-solving skills

The harsh reality is that when kids never get the opportunity to figure out things for themselves, they may even struggle with basic life skills. Such kids generally turn to others to fix their problems rather than solving them on their own. This way they miss out on these important problem-solving skills that are undoubtedly needed at every phase of life.

Holding yourself back from overparenting does not mean you have to ignore your child. Here are some effective tips to get the perfect balance between parenting and overparenting.

Let Them Make Their Decisions

From choosing what to wear to completing school assignments and projects on their own, it is important to let your child make small decisions on their own. 

Let Them Fail

While it may be the hardest part for parents to see their kids fail, it is also important to know that failure is part of life and the very first step to success. In the end, even failure is a learning opportunity.

Ask for Their Feedback

You don’t always need to jump into the situation with solutions; instead, ask your child about how they feel they should have handled the situation. This will help build the essential resilience and problem-solving skills they need.

Step Back

Personal space is needed for anyone when it comes to growth. The same goes for your kids. It may seem uncomfortable initially, but stepping back from constantly supervising their life is also a much-needed aspect of parenting.

The best thing that parents can sometimes do is give their little ones their space to grow. If you are someone who is constantly controlling your child, it’s time to take a step back—let them make mistakes, stumble, or fail. But this is how kids learn. Overparenting is certainly not the key to success in the long run. Instead, you must focus on loosening the grip and letting them explore the challenges of life.