Are You an Overprotective Parent? Sometimes It Pays Off!

Looking out for your children will always be at the very top of your priority list as a parent. You don’t often care if you are being overprotective or cautious; you care about keeping them safe at all times. You spent all of those difficult months being pregnant and having so much control over where they went, what they ate and who they spent time with. Now as they start to get older you find yourself reluctantly loosening the reigns. Would you consider yourself to be an overprotective parent? Here are a few ways that you can maintain control without pushing them away.

Screen Time Saviours

In an age where smartphones and tablets are becoming the norm for children, you need to do your best as a parent to keep them safe and sound. Family Orbit is a useful tool that can help you track where your children are at all times. With special features you can respect their privacy when necessary, but check they are safe if you need to. If you want to keep an eye on your youngsters in real time, this app could work wonders for you and your family. Your children won’t see it as an invasion of privacy, as long as you only use it when necessary.

Being Street Smart

Raising a street smart kid is a lot easier said than done these days. At the moment, book smarts are nothing compared to street smarts; good instincts will allow your child to navigate themselves out of danger whenever they need to. There is no easy way to assess how street wise your child is, but you can slowly and gradually put their skills to the test. Start off in a shopping centre and give your kid a specific time and place to meet up with you again. In an enclosed area you can have peace of mind that they are safe and you can also test their levels of responsibility when they come and meet you on time. Every child is completely different, but you should wait until they are around twelve years old before trying this out.

Open Conversations

All parents struggle with the idea of allowing their child to grow up, but having open conversations with them about the future can help you to come to terms with the idea. Discuss their aspirations and discover who they want to grow up to be like when they are older. Raising a well-rounded human being is all you can ask for in the long run!

When you have your little one’s best interests at heart, it is always difficult to recognize whether you are being too overbearing or not. Think carefully about how you handle certain situations; sometimes it is fine to take control, but pick and choose your battles. As they get older and older they will want to experience their freedom and it is up to you to trust their judgement. Your job as a parent is to raise an independent and intelligent child who knows how to handle themselves in the big wide world. Although it can be tough to let go, sometimes it is the best thing for them.