<!–
<!–
<!– <!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A leading child development expert has warned that today’s parents are being so overprotective of their children that their children may have difficulty coping with life as adults.
appearing in In My Opinion on Radio 5 LiveDr. Amanda Gummer said: “We are spoiling our children and it is causing them a lot of harm.”
The expert said the rise in overprotective parenting means children are unable to make decisions for themselves, which is “one of the biggest problems with the mental health crisis we are seeing in teenagers today.”
The gaming expert said many parents are too obsessed with “stranger danger,” but the reality is that accidents in the home are much more likely than a kidnapping.
Child development expert Dr Amanda Gummer said children should be allowed to have “some scrapes on their knees or bruises” because if they don’t learn from mistakes in childhood, they won’t be able to deal with the consequences when they’re older. in adulthood.
She told Radio 5 Live host Ric Edwards: ‘There is a fear among parents that is largely unfounded.
“In the ’80s and ’90s there were some very high-profile kidnapping cases and parents are, rightly, very afraid that something bad will happen to their children.”
The founder and chief executive of Good Play Guide warned that children are being denied key skills in risk assessment, socialisation, decision-making and friendships, saying those skills come from being allowed to play outdoors free without adult supervision.
Dr Gummer explained: ‘The moment a little conflict arises, they turn to parents to solve it.
“Once children play alone, they have the opportunity to resolve those conflicts and learn things like empathy and leadership skills.”
He added that the risk of something bad happening to a child was radically reduced if he played outside “within walking distance of his house.”
“Overparenting” means children are denied the opportunity to learn vital life skills
Dr Gummer called on authorities to provide safe spaces for children to play unsupervised from the age of six, saying traffic was a “legitimate fear” for parents of children going out alone.
“We need to give kids access to local play spaces where they can go and hang out with their friends and playfully develop all those really different skills.”
She said children today are missing out on vital life skills and that is disempowering them and “taking away their agency” to feel in control of their own lives, both now and later in adulthood.
The expert said: “We need to allow them to suffer the occasional bruise or scratch on the knee, so that they understand the dangers and risks.”
He added: “Let them make these mistakes when the consequences are small, and then when they are older and the consequences are greater, they will know how to deal with things.”