Deb is the mother of two boys, ages seven and ten. She read the Real Love in Parenting book, and she has talked to me about parenting on many occasions.
Emotionally Crippled Children of "Good Mothers"
But then I talked to her husband and learned how she behaves with her sons:
- She lays out their clothes for school the night before.
- She helps them brush their teeth.
- She gets their pajamas out at bedtime.
- She gets them up in the morning, and then sheās right behind them every step of the way, making sure that theyāre on schedule, that they eat the right breakfast, and much more.
- She helps them do their homework, takes it to school if they forget it at home, and otherwise rescues them at every opportunity.
She says that all this is just what āgoodā mothers do when they ātake careā of their children. Debās friends are effusive in their praise of her being a āgreat motherā because of the energy and āconcernā she devotes to being a āgood parent.ā
The Motivations of This "Good Mother"
Who could deny the outward evidence of her serving her children? But we have to ask, who is she helping? What is she really doing?
Sure, part of her cares about her sonsā happiness, but most of her motivation consists of the following mix:
- A need to be SEEN as a good parent.
- A need for her children to thank her for serving them, which she ensures by reminding them to thank her.
- A need to feel important.
- A need to have a secure role in lifeāa purpose.
How do I know her motivations?
- Because she gets irritated with them if they donāt follow the tightly regimented schedule.
- Because her care of the children interferes with her marriage. She prefers to get clothes out for her children, for exampleāwho are easily old enough to do everything she does for themāover spending time with her husband, who feels neglected and even dismissed.
- And because she gets irritated if everyone isnāt grateful for her āsacrifices.ā These are undeniable indicationsāproofs, reallyāthat her motivations are primarily selfish.
Why these Children are Emotionally Crippled
So what else is wrong with what Deb is doing?
- Sheās teaching her children that they are helpless and weak.
- Sheās teaching them to obey HER rather than to do the right things simply because they work and lead to a sense of responsibility and happiness.
- Sheās stealing from them the opportunities they require to learn to be responsible. Children are guaranteed to be happy when they are loved, loving, and responsible. With her over-protective caretaking, she is actually contributing to her children being unhappy for a lifetime.
Think Iām exaggerating the effects of Debās smothering? Not at all. I regularly work with adults twenty, thirty, and more years after theyāve been ācared forā as Debās children.
They feel entitled, they donāt know how to take care of themselves, they have a hard time with decisions, they become disgruntled and unproductive employees, and their relationships are a nightmare. All because they were not loved and taught, just spoiled and protected.
Oh, and something I left out. I first wrote the story above six years ago. The two boys are now plagued with anxiety and depression to the point of being crippled. Theyāre demanding and entitled. And Deb and her husband are divorced. All that was highly predictable, because working outside the Laws of Happiness never works out well.
Our goal as parents is to love and teach our children in a way that they can be independent and happy for a lifetime and not emotionally crippled.
We are NOT here to take care of their every need and protect them from inconvenience and pain.
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