08 February 2009

Helicopter Parents

A wonderful quote from the New York Times that wonderfully grasps the essence of the confusion between effective parenting and ego gratification.

In this era when children symbolize emotional fulfillment rather than free household labor, we cling to the belief that if we just do everything right — starting with what a woman eats before she’s even pregnant — we can protect them from pain or failure or sadness. We can make them perfect and, in the process, prove ourselves beyond reproach.

The article itself is good for other reasons too.

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