Society

What’s Wrong with Over-Parenting?

May 17, 2018  • Aspen Ideas to Go

As parents, if we step in to combat every discomfort our child faces, give up our own lives to become deeply ingrained in theirs, and take on the role of friend, are we over-parenting? Some psychologists say yes, but there’s a spectrum. In this episode, psychologists Polly Young-Eisendrath and Madeline Levine join psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb for a conversation about finding a happy middle ground between over-parenting and under-parenting. Journalist Katie Couric guides the conversation that’s filled with anecdotes from the speaker’s own lives. Are parents fixing things too much? Or, giving out too many gold stars? Is such heavy attention making it harder for kids to grow up?

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