Kids are trouble, and it makes sense to want to watch them all the time so that they don’t get hurt. However, there is a difference between helicopter parenting and involved parenting. Recently, studies have shown that being over-absorbed in a child’s life provokes kids to become anxious, as well as to lack self-sufficiency and confidence. 

A 2012 study at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia revealed that four year old children who displayed signs of anxiety also had mothers with anxiety disorders or “overly involved mothers.” By the age of nine, most children were diagnosed with clinical anxiety, specifically social anxiety. Social anxiety is common amongst overprotected kids, as they were raised to perceive the world as a dangerous place far too threatening for them to handle on their own. So, when presented with a social interaction or a “taste of the outside world,” which they had been kept from participating in until adolescence or adulthood, they lacked the required social skills to handle the interaction. 

Aside from lacking social interaction skills, these overprotected children may also suffer from lack of self-sufficiency. Overprotective parents become too involved in the lives of their children, to the point that their children become extremely dependent on them. This lack of independence in children causes kids to miss key developmental moments that create the self sufficiency needed in adulthood. This parental overprotectiveness also causes children to become afraid of the unknown, resulting in them not attempting anything unfamiliar or new. This, paired with a fear of failure and the idea that they’re incapable of accomplishing anything by themselves, prevents them from being competent on their own. 

On top of these two key issues, childrens’ confidence and self esteem are also affected by their lack of self dependency because they never experienced moments where they were allowed to prove themselves or where their ego was boosted through genuine validation. The absence of these essential moments in the lives of these children only further the consequences of overprotective parenting and lead to adults who are afraid to embarrass themselves later in life. The lack of these specific moments will cause the impact of judgements to be harsher, since they’re likely unable to accomplish things they’ve never done before. 

In conclusion, overprotective parenting is causing children to become more anxious, insufficient and insecure about doing new things on their own. It is a natural instinct for parents to protect their kids, but maybe it’s better off to let birds fly from the nest.