We all want our children to be safe and happy, but is there such a thing as too much safety, too much protection?
Raising children is an exciting process, but sometimes it can seem a little too exciting, especially when you have to call the plumber to get your kid’s hand unstuck from the toilet! It is quite the balancing act, and it takes a lot of nerve and devotion on the part of parents.
How much should parents do to keep their kids safe, and how much protection is too much? There is a fine line between mothering and smothering, between fathering and bothering. Overprotective parents, in their desire to save life, may suppress it instead, as they project their own fears onto their children. However, what they are really doing is protecting their own comfort.
Too many adults go through life afraid of all sorts of things – dogs, heights, meeting new people, going barefoot, riding horses, you name it – because of repeated fear messages and warnings given them by overprotective parents when they were small. Don’t get me wrong, there are palpable dangers “out there,” and it is smart to be wary. The question is, do we really need to be “helicopter” parents, always hovering over our children?
Teach your kids to be cautious when it’s necessary. But also teach them to risk, to live and laugh and test their own limits. Be there with a guiding hand and an encouraging word, and be ready to haul them away from real danger. Be mindful that you don’t squelch their spirits in your quest to keep them from harm.
If you can teach them how to take calculated risks and really live life fully as children, you will be giving them a wonderful blessing that will serve them well as adults.