Counseling approaches and strategies for children

Counseling-Children

Overprotective Parenting

It is normal for parents to feel that they are responsible for the welfare of their children. We look at a tiny and fragile newborn child and decide for ourselves that we are going to protect them for the rest of their lives. However, we seem to forget that children grow up and that sooner rather than later, they will have to face the world by themselves. Protective parents naturally do not want their children to get hurt. This starts out rather innocently -- from wanting to shield them from scratches and wounds when they play, or when we accompany them to the playground and ask other children to play with our child in the hopes of avoiding rejection for the kid. Somehow, we cannot let them go. However, recent studies have shown that overprotective parents not only shield their children from harm but also prevent them from trying out new activities. We do not allow them to play with the new kid on the block, enjoy a new swing set at the park, or spend a night at a neighbor's house because we do not think that others have the capability to protect and supervise our children. What happens is we are raising children who are also afraid of what their parents fear.

Irrational and Inappropriate Fears

If you are the type of parent who constantly hovers around your child with fears of him or her getting hurt at the playground, then it can be said that you have inappropriate fears. We cannot be around our children for 24 hours a day. Physical pain is a part of life and we cannot blame ourselves or our children if they encounter it at one point in time. Another irrational fear is being afraid that your child will be hurt or abducted once you let them out of your site. Overprotective parents constantly give instructions on how to do the daily routine of their children. They do not believe in the capability of the growing child to make his or her own decisions. In short, instead of parenting and mothering, they are smothering the child. As children grow up, this fear-centered thinking is imbibed into their personality, making them equally afraid of certain things and experiences. They grow up to be socially incompetent and immature individuals who do not know what to do without their parents and who always fear new experiences.

Letting Go