Nowadays, reports of children studying in big institutions giving up when facing struggles in life are becoming common. This problem is mainly due to lack of practical knowledge, due to which children are not able to maintain harmony in their life and relationships. The protective circle of parents is certainly necessary, but it should be limited so that children can learn from their mistakes.
According to Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, senior psychiatrist and founder of Manasthali, “helicopter parenting” is a parenting approach in which parents keep an eye on every movement of their children and always keep them under their protection. Its purpose is to ensure that children never get hurt physically or emotionally. However, this over-protective attitude has negative effects on children, which are as follows:
1. Low self-esteem and confidence
Over-protective parenting weakens children’s self-esteem and confidence. This does not allow their skills to develop, making them unable to face the world.
2. Aggressive behavior and depression
Such children grow up to be emotional and when they face difficulty in completing any task, they become depressed. They either behave aggressively or become indifferent.
3. Feeling of insecurity
This kind of upbringing creates a feeling of insecurity in children. They worry about whether other people like them or not, and they are unable to develop the habit of listening.
4. Being under pressure
Children of overprotective parents feel pressure throughout their lives. They grow up to be timid and incapable of taking decisions.
Improvement measures
- Allow your child to try new challenges: From the first steps to the first school dance, give your child the opportunity to try new things. Take care of safety, but remove fear from your mind.
- Responsibility for everyday tasks: Expect children to do everyday tasks. Set appropriate rules and boundaries so they can face bigger challenges.
- Let them face problems: When children face problems while returning home from school, give them an opportunity to solve them. Avoid helping them with every small problem.
- Identify special abilities: There is something special in every child. Recognize your child’s special abilities and help them develop.
Thus, parents should avoid over-protective attitude towards their children so that children can grow into self-reliant and successful individuals.
