Many people, on becoming a new parent, think that they may have to become this almighty superhuman, and any new mum may believe that they’ve got to turn into Wonder Woman in order to be the best parent. And while new parents may very well become more protective over their children, it’s important to remember there is a balance. We can very easily fall into the trap of being an overprotective mother to our baby, which, as they get older, could mean we become a far more protective parent than is necessary. While it’s important to be engaged in all matters associated with your child, from your child’s health to their development, what can you do when your overprotective nature gets the better of you and start to perceive everything as a threat to your child?
There’s a Medicine for Most Ailments
The factors that we cannot protect our child from everything. There are concerns that we are exposing our children to external threats and especially if we take them on holiday, but this is what jabs and creams are for. Having some mosquito bite cream in your handbags will make a big difference, but it’s a lesson in realising that most things can be cured pretty simply. And it’s important to remember that as a parent, we may think that preventing these problems is the best approach but the reality is that we can’t protect our child from everything. Your child is going to get stung by a wasp or bitten by an insect at some point, they would also have a splinter, and they will cut themselves because they fell down. But the most important lesson for us as parents is to remember that there is medicine for most things, and this is why we should have a fully stocked medicine cabinet, complete with plasters, antiseptic spray, and every little thing. Because children will hit their heads and fall over, and it’s always at the second we are not looking.
Knowing the Right Solution for the Situation
If we are scared of external threats to our children, it’s important that we understand the situation that our child is getting exposed to. Part of the reason that we become fearful of things is because we don’t know how to solve the problem. A very good example is if your child starts to choke. Do you know how to help your child if they are choking? If you do not, this is where you need to begin. Having the knowledge and applying it to a specific situation is going to be far more beneficial than protecting and preventing your child from eating things that could potentially cause harm. Of course, it’s important to remember that there are things that your child cannot eat, and you have to be age-appropriate. But it gets to the point where if you stop your child eating nuts after the age of six when they are more than capable of chewing food with a full set of teeth, you might be depriving them of nice foods, but also they may try foods without you knowing. When we are stopping our children from doing things, it’s important to tell them why. It’s about making them aware of the risks, but this is why we have to be aware of if we are overprotective.
Recognising What Overprotection Will Do to Our Behaviour
The most important lesson in not being overprotective is arguably about seeing the bigger picture. If you perceive everything as a threat, this is going to get you into a frame of mind where you are constantly on edge, which could cause anxiety, but also, it will turn you into a certain type of parent that ends up doing everything for your child if you are doing everything for your child, you are not helping them in the long run. Being an overprotective parent will make you feel like you are doing everything right by your child, but the long-term impacts can be devastating for you and your child. Because being protective is, for many people, a sense of reassurance that they are doing everything they can for their child’s, however, when we end up overcompensating in this area, we are stifling our child’s growth. We could turn into a “helicopter parent,” where we accompany our child to job interviews, and not let them do anything for themselves. And it all begins with this idea of understanding how to deal with threats and perceiving them appropriately.
We cannot completely remove the idea of threats from our lives, but if we continue to think that the best way forward is to be Wonder Woman, we’ve got to think about what is going to happen in the long run.
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