Overparenting Strains Parent-Child Relationships | Generated by AI
Question: Do parents who focus too much on their kids often end up having bad relationships with them?
Answer:
Yes, excessive parental focus—often called overparenting or helicopter parenting—frequently leads to strained or poorer parent-child relationships, though it’s not inevitable in every case.
Overparenting involves excessive involvement, control, and protection that doesn’t match a child’s developmental stage. While well-intentioned, it can hinder a child’s autonomy, leading to tension as kids grow and seek independence. Research shows this often results in:
- Reduced relationship satisfaction due to poor communication and increased attachment anxiety.
- Children feeling controlled or infantilized, causing resentment or rebellion, especially in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
- Long-term strain, with adult children reporting lower closeness or more conflict.
In contrast, attentive and responsive parenting (supportive without being overly controlling) builds secure attachments and stronger bonds. The key is balance: being involved and caring while allowing age-appropriate independence fosters healthier relationships.
References:
- Moderating the Association Between Overparenting and Mental Health: Open Family Communication and Emerging Adult Children’s Trait Autonomy - PMC
- The Effects of Overparenting on Children - Psych Central
- Explaining the negative association between overparenting and parent-child relationship satisfaction - Nature
- Helicopter Parenting: Examples, Causes, Effects - Parents.com
- Study reveals impact of too much parental involvement - Stanford Report