Problems With Over-Parenting Part 2

July 26, 2012

Interview with Dr. Madeline Levine, author of the book Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success

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Mike Carruthers:
Modern day parents tend to be very involved with their kids’ lives - perhaps too involved.

Dr. Madeline Levine:
And in fact what that leads to is stressed out, unhappy, sometimes depressed parents who have thrown all their resources behind their kids and have forgotten that their entitled to some resources of their own.
 

Dr. Madeline Levine, author of the book Teach Your Children Well...

When everything becomes child centric we present a very unappealing picture of adulthood. Which is we work like crazy all week and then we spend our weekends sort of passively sitting up there watching our children kick a ball around. And I’ve talked to a lot of kids who say, “Why would I want to grow up?”  Life is at its best a party and everybody gets to play. And I think that so many parents are so anxious about their kids that they’re not playing at all.

Another concern is that well intentioned parents enroll their children in far too many activities.

Well I think kids are desperate for downtime so that they can actually reflect on their growing up. And actually neuropsychiatrists are finding that it’s in those moments of reflection that you get to know who you are in the time that you have to sit back, reflect, not be overwhelmed all the time.