Comments on: Monday Teeny Poll

By: marvel

marvel — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:23:31 +0000

Oh, dgm is interpreting “overprotective” differently from the way I did. I was thinking more strictly in terms of “not letting kids roam free through the countryside provided they are home by dinner,” not in terms of “protecting children from all manner of hurt, injury and suffering, including normal childhood events like falling off a bike and getting a B when not having done the homework (helicopter parenting).” If interpreted that way, I agree with dgm.

By: dgm

dgm — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:41:36 +0000

I think parents are too overprotective and overschedule their children. Actually, while I think they have to be more careful about letting children roam free (like I used to when I was a kid), I think they are overprotective in the wrong ways, like doing their projects for them so their kids won’t (GASP!) get a B, or otherwise not letting them be anything less that the best at something, or not letting them suffer hurt feelings or scraped knees or a little fever. And yet, by the time the kids turn into teenagers parents let them run wild. Maybe they’re just worn out.

By: marvel

marvel — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:16:07 +0000

This was a little tricky, Glinda, because I don’t parents are being too overprotective, but I do think many children are over-scheduled, which is a different question.