Hatched Egg (Photo credit: Mathew Knott) http://www.flickr.com/photos/93702253@N00/4652136186
Our children are now protected from papers marked with red pens, other people’s food, germs on the counter, dirt at the playground and a whole lot of other things I just can’t think of at the moment. While I appreciate the evolution of laws about seat belts and smoking I have to wonder whether we have distorted parental love and concern into something that is just not helpful to our children. The desire to protect our children is normal and natural. I just wonder if it has gone too far…. if perhaps we are creating more problems than we avoid.
If you don’t believe in the value of the struggle, then just ask your mother…. Mother Nature, that is!
Think about it: little birds and chickens working hard to break out of their shells, salmon struggling upstream to spawn and helpless baby turtles inching toward the surf…Nature clearly favors those who struggle and adapt. Is that true of the rest of us?
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8 Responses to “Protection or Problems?”
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I also find it interesting that we over protect our children, yet let them become sleep deprived (for many reasons…)
Yes, kids need to fall, no matter how hard it is to watch them…great reminder…
Thanks, Teri. For better or worse, this is how my brain works… always looking at the unintended consequences. Sleep deprivation and over-scheduling are good examples.
I agree with this totally! I see so many “Helicopter” Parents, hovering over their children and not letting them learn from experience. Mistakes and trials help us learn and grow!
Exactly… Loving intentions can sometimes have disastrous results. Parenting may be the most important job we have, but it’s important to put ourselves “out of work.” Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I think it has gone too far. Kids need to be exposed to germs to build their immune system, but so many parents overcompensate with hand sanitizer, etc.
Could be a good analogy? A few germs to challenge and strengthen an immune system…. A few disappointments to build resilience…
Wise words. When my daughter was little, I had to continually check my reflex to protect her. Now that she is in her early 20’s, I still find that same impulse can kick in!
I’m not sure the reflex ever goes away… Maybe we just get better at “volume control”? 🙂