Overprotected Kids: Why We Need to Burst the Bubble on Bubble-Wrap Parenting Opinion Parenting Kids Tip of the Day

Overzealous parents have had their day in the sun. And it's taken its toll. While our kids have grown up comfortable and protected, the negatives may, in fact, outweigh the positives. Our kids are growing into coddled, dependent, easily triggered, anxious adults. So let's take a stand and work toward fixing the mistakes of the past – and in the process help our kids become the confident self-sufficient adults they are meant to be.

Of course, easier said than done. In a perfect world, our kids are ready to exert their independence at the same time that we as parents are ready to nudge them forward. But what about when these two distinct windows aren't aligned?

What if our kids want to walk to school solo but we're not ready for them to do so? What if we as parents are ready to take the plunge in leaving them home on their own for a couple of hours but they're afraid to be alone? Here's where we work to reach a compromise in order to get the windows to overlap.

Talk to your kids. Build them up. Allow them their freedom. And when they ask for independence, hear them out. Then give them some.

What do you think??