Taking a look at this article made me really take a step back and assess my parenting style, which is something we all ought to do periodically, so I thought I’d share it.
“Hyperparenting” is something we’ve all been guilty of at one point or another, and it’s really easy to pick out in others. It’s when we get in our own way — and our child’s — and refuse to leave them to their own natural development.
It’s the father who signs his kid up for soccer, karate, piano lessons, and swimming. It’s the mother who agonizes over every smudge of dirt and always has the sanitizer handy. It’s when we want our child to be everything we never had the chance to be ourselves, so we force it on them.
As parents, we tend to forget that humans lived for thousands of years without the benefit of afterschool programs or tutors or little league or any of those things, and yet we survived. Our kids don’t need us to manage every aspect of their lives; in fact, this can be deleterious to their well-being.
Any good Buddhist knows the value of letting go … and any would-be Buddhist knows just how difficult that practice can be. But following the suggestions in the referring article might help you stop being a hyperparent, and make you a better person in general, not just with regard to your child. Hey — it’s okay to relax!
Check out the article here.
