Do you overindulge your children? 5 ways it harms them
Parents always want to ensure that each and every need of their children is met. They also aim to provide the best environment possible for them to thrive. There is, however, a fine line between bringing up children well and overindulging them. Research shows that when parents do things for children that they should be learning to do by themselves, they are actually hindering their emotional growth. This overindulgence often leads to self-centredness, greed and an inability to own up to their actions.
How do parents overindulge their children?
Studies have shown that there three types of overindulgence that many parents fall prey to:
- Over-occupying children: This happens when parents engage kids in too many activities or keep them busy with too many toys or gadgets. During their growing years, children need downtime to learn how to entertain themselves.
- Over-nurturing: Many parents don’t know when to take the back seat. So, they end up being over involved in every aspect of their children’s life, starting from their home works to any negative situation they face. This can affect the overall mental development of kids.
- Giving a free-rein: Allowing kids to do what they want to is necessary for helping them grow up into independent adults. But a fine line needs to be maintained between independence and discipline. When parents give a complete free rein to kids, they are to lead an unruly life.
Why overindulgence is bad for kids
Overindulgence during childhood can have lasting consequences that affect them well into adulthood. Here’s how it affects them:
Makes them materialistic: When children always get their wishes fulfilled at the drop of a hat, they start mistaking materialistic satisfaction for everlasting happiness.
Kids become indifferent to rules: When there is a lack of proper discipline in children’s lives, they start believing that they don’t necessarily have to follow rules. In fact, they disregard rues altogether. This happens because rules were never enforced on them.
They are drawn towards money-oriented life goals: Overindulgence can even influence kids' goals in life. Research shows that extremely pampered children aspired most to achieve life goals like money, fame, and image and nothing about having meaningful bonds or contributing to their community or society.
Children take things for granted: Kids who grow up amidst affluence do not learn to take care of what they already have. They stop valuing and appreciating what they possess.
They develop incongruent behaviours: Studies show that adults who were overindulged as children feel long-suffering discontentment, develop overeating and overspending behaviours and even have trouble coping with reality.