Are We Coddling Our Kids Too Much?

How we behave and feel about ourselves as adults may often seem a product of too many influences to truly grasp. There’s the everyday world, with its demands and stresses, the strength of our relationships, our long-term career prospects and, this day and age, politics. But no matter how busy we may be reacting to and being shaped by circumstances, the core of who we are is formed throughout childhood. How we lived as kids and what environment was provided for us by our parents has indelible impacts upon the courses of our lives. 

So what are we, adults of today, going to do about raising the next generation? How will we make them stronger, happier, and more accomplished than us? Or at the very least, how do we avoid making the same mistakes our parents made (and not come up with entirely new ones)?

The world seems more dangerous than when we were young, with trauma waiting around every corner. Our urge is to fiercely protect and shelter children but, as social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains, that instinct must be questioned. Overprotecting children has backfired harshly on Americans.

To become better guardians, we need to draw upon a new vision of what a childhood should be. Let's turn the spotlight on self-determination.