We know—you just want the best for your kids. We all do.
But there’s a fine line between parenting and overparenting. There is a difference between being a good, attentive parent and being such an excessively involved parent that you end up crippling your children and not letting them grow up to be the independent adults they should be.
Are you a helicopter parent? Ask yourself these questions.
Do you hover over your children constantly?
Do you have a hard time leaving your children at school?
Have you ever confronted a teacher for giving your child a bad grade or reprimanding him/her in class?
Have you ever confronted another child or another child’s parents about a fight involving your child?
Do you get excessively involved in your child’s schoolwork?
Do your children rely on you for entertainment?
Do you do your children’s school projects for them?
Do you fight your children’s battles for them?
Do you snoop on your children?
Do you use technology to keep track of your kids?
If you could install a GPS tracker that would let you know where your child is at all times, would you do it?
Do your children complain about being smothered?
Do your older children complain that you still treat them like little kids?
Do you dread the day they will move out of the house?
Do you act like your children’s secretary?
Do you stay up all night waiting for your children to come home?
Do you clean your teenager’s room for them?
Are you afraid of your children growing up and becoming independent?
Do you insist on making decisions even though your children are old enough to make their own?
Do you worry excessively about your children?
Do you obsess over your children?
Do you cross social norms and overstep boundaries for the sake of parenting?
Do you do too much for your children?
Have your children become too reliant on you?
Do you have problems with letting go?