Helicopter parents, tiger moms, cosseters, hothouse parents . . .
Whatever we label it,
overparenting--anxious, invasive, overly attentive, and competitive parenting--may have finally backfired. As we witness the first generation of overparented children becoming adults in their own right, many studies show that when baby boomer parents intervene inappropriately--with too much advice, excessive favors, and erasing obstacles that kids should negotiate themselves--their "millennial" children end up ill-behaved, anxious, narcissistic, entitled youths unable to cope with everyday life. The obsession with providing everything a child could possibly need, from macrobiotic cupcakes to 24/7 tutors, has created epidemic levels of depression and stress in our country's youth, but this can be avoided if parents would just take a giant step back, check their ambitions at the door, and do what's really best for their kids.
Written by a noted psychiatrist and a parenting specialist,
The Overparenting Epidemic is a science-based yet humorous and practical book that features an easy-to-read menu of pragmatic, reasonable advice for how to parent children effectively and lovingly without overdoing it, especially in the context of today's demanding world.
