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 in accordance with their age as they grow, so this can have very serious consequences. negative for the son.
There are various signs that you are overprotective of your child, and knowing some of the most common ones could help you avoid persisting in those that could do more harm than good to your children. 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.
6 warning signs that you are overprotective of your son or daughter
Let’s see what are the main signs that you are overprotecting your child; signs that should serve as warnings 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 overprotective of your child is the fact that you are offering him too many rewards with material gifts when he does things correctly, which could result in that becomes too capricious and think that by doing things correctly in life you will always get a gift, so you will never value doing things for mere satisfaction on a personal level or because it is the right thing to do.
Being accustomed to receiving material rewards for everything they do correctly, they will not learn to value the little things either because they will always believe that it is insufficient and they will increasingly want more valuable things, so that they will never be satisfied with anything. In this sense, it is also quite likely that he will make less effort to achieve things for himself and will have the belief that other people are obliged to maintain his desires.
2. You constantly praise your son or daughter
Other signs that you are overprotective of your child is that you praise him too much without realizing it. Yes, it is good that you praise your child, 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 could come to believe that you have abilities beyond your means so that when they reach a certain age and begin to realize that in reality this is not the case, this may seriously affect their self-esteem and a rebound effect may occur.
Realistically praising your children can provide an incentive for them and that in addition to feeling good, they do things correctly by having learned to differentiate what is correct and what is not.
3. You don’t allow him to assume the responsibilities he should
If you do not allow him to assume the responsibilities he should at his age, you can find here another sign that you are overprotecting your child, and that is that in this way you are not helping him develop the learning and skills necessary to grow and be a responsible adult in the future who faces his own challenges and is capable of solving his own problems. This way, he also won’t take the blame when he doesn’t do things correctly.
Not allowing him or her to take on any household chores is another warning sign that you are falling into overprotection as a father or mother. When this happens, they reach adulthood without being able to do their own work at home, being less likely to have a clean and tidy house. This is also quite linked to not assuming one’s own responsibilities.
Teaching children to do household chores and collaborate at home can be very beneficial for their mental health, as this will make them feel more useful and productive, as well as help them learn to be organized and assume responsibilities.
5. You justify everything your child does
The fifth of those signs that you are overprotecting your child is the fact that you are justifying everything he does, even when they do not behave correctly and clearly comply with basic rules, or does something bad that could have caused harm to other people. It is very harmful to justify their negative actions because it is important that healthy limits be imposed so that they learn what is right and when they are crossing the line by carrying out bad behavior.
Your child should know how to behave without causing harm to others and should also learn to take responsibility for their actions, since If you don’t learn as a child, it is much more difficult for you to do so when you are an adult
6. You make your child feel like they are the center of the universe
Lastly, 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 attentive to satisfying your 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 in facing the challenges of everyday life.
After having seen the main signs that you are overprotecting your children, let’s look at some of them. the consequences of doing so throughout their childhood and youth development stage
They are more likely to be fearful.
There are studies that demonstrate a high correlation between overprotection and anxiety disorders.
They will have difficulty differentiating between what they should do and what they should not do.
They will have a lack of tools and capabilities to face and solve their own problems.
They will become dependent people on those around them; even in his adult stage.
They will not have the necessary skills to tolerate and cope 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 aggression.
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 is worth noting 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 healthy way in which they teach their children to face their challenges and assume the necessary responsibilities as they go. growing so that they have independence when they are adults and have acquired the necessary tools to face the challenges they will face in their daily lives.
