Education, study and knowledge

6 signs that you are overprotecting your child

The overprotection of children during their upbringing is a very common phenomenon that occurs when parents prevent their children from assuming their responsibilities, freedoms and obligations according to their age as they grow, so this can have very negative consequences for the son.

There are several signs that you are overprotecting your child, and knowing some of the most common ones could help you avoid dwelling on those that may do more harm than good to your sons. So, in this article we will see some signs that usually indicate that parents are being overprotective and those of their children, and tips on what to do.

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6 warning signs that you are overprotecting your son or daughter

Let's see what are the main signs that you are overprotecting your child; signs that should serve as alerts that you should change your parenting strategy.

1. You reward your child too much with material gifts

One of the main signs that you are overprotecting your child is the fact that he is offering too many rewards with material gifts when he does things right, which he could bring as consequence

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that he becomes too capricious and think that by doing things correctly in life he will always get a gift, so that way he will never value doing things for mere satisfaction on a personal level or because it is the Right.

Being accustomed to receiving material rewards for everything he does well, he will not learn to value small things either. things because he will always believe that it is insufficient and they will want more and more valuable things, so that they will never be satisfied with any. In this sense, it is also quite likely that he will try less to get things for himself and he will have the belief that other people are obliged to maintain his wishes.

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2. You constantly praise your son or daughter

Other signs that you are being overprotective of your child is that you praise him too much without realizing it. Yes, it is good that you praise your son, since this will make him feel better and will stimulate him to continue acting correctly and trying to achieve his goals, but his praise is excessive You might come to believe that you have capabilities beyond your means., so that when they reach a certain age and begin to realize that this is not really the case, this may seriously affect their self-esteem and a rebound effect may occur.

overprotective parents

Realistically praising children can be an incentive for them and that in addition to feeling good they do things correctly having learned to differentiate what is correct and what is not.

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3. You do not allow him to assume the responsibilities that he should

If you do not allow him to assume the responsibilities that he should at his age, you can find another of the signs here that you are overprotecting your child, and in this way you are not helping him develop learning and skills necessary to grow and be in the future a responsible adult who faces his own challenges and is capable of solving his own problems. This way, you won't take the blame when you don't do things right, either.

4. You do not allow me to do any homework

Not allowing him to take on any household chores is another warning sign that you are becoming overprotective as a father or mother. When this happens, they reach adulthood without being able to do their own chores at home., being less likely to have a clean and tidy house. This is also quite linked to the fact of not assuming their own responsibilities.

Teaching children to do housework and collaborate at home can be very beneficial for their mental health, since this It will make them feel more useful and productive, as well as help them learn to be organized and assume responsibilities.

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5. You justify everything your son does

The fifth of those signs that you are overprotecting your child is the fact that you are justifying everything he does, even when he does not behave properly and clearly follows basic rules, or does something wrong that could have caused harm to other people. It is very harmful to justify his negative acts because it is important that healthy limits are imposed on him. so they can learn what is right and when they are crossing the line for doing wrong behavior.

Your son should know how he should behave without causing harm to others and should also learn to take responsibility for his actions, since If you don't learn as a child, it's much more difficult for you to learn when you're an adult..

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6. You make your son feel that he is the center of the universe

Finally, another sign that you are overprotecting your child is the fact that you are encouraging him to think that he is the center of the universe and, therefore, others must be aware of satisfying their desires. If you encourage him to think that when he is little, when he reaches the adolescent and adult stage he will have serious difficulties to face the challenges of day to day.

Consequences of overprotecting children

After having seen the main signs that you are overprotecting your children, let's look at some of the the consequences of doing so during their entire stage of childhood and youth development.

  • They are more likely to be fearful.
  • There are studies that show a high correlation between overprotection and anxiety disorders.
  • They will have difficulty differentiating between what they should do and what they should not.
  • They will have a lack of tools and skills to face and solve their own problems.
  • They will become dependent on those around them; even in his adult stage.
  • They will not possess the necessary skills to tolerate and deal with moments of frustration.
  • Because of this low tolerance for frustration they will be more likely to develop depression.
  • You may react to frustrating moments with anger and even aggressiveness.
  • They will not have the necessary skills to face the challenges that arise throughout their lives.

Now that we have seen the consequences of overprotecting children, it should be noted that overprotection is not the same as protection, since protection is that instinctive and natural need that mothers and fathers have to overprotect their children, but in a way healthy in which they teach their children to face their challenges and to assume the necessary responsibilities as they grow so that have an independence when they are adults and have acquired the necessary tools to face the challenges that they will have to face in their day to day.

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