{"id":16397,"date":"2025-08-03T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/?p=16397"},"modified":"2025-07-31T05:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T09:22:06","slug":"a-psychologist-warns-the-parenting-mistake-that-can-raise-indecisive-and-insecure-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/relationships-and-society\/a-psychologist-warns-the-parenting-mistake-that-can-raise-indecisive-and-insecure-adults-16397\/","title":{"rendered":"A psychologist warns: The parenting mistake that can raise indecisive and insecure adults"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to psychologist <a href=\"https:\/\/rafaguerrero.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Rafa Guerrero<\/strong><\/a>, overprotecting children during their early years often leads to adults who can&#8217;t make decisions, doubt themselves, and feel lost in everyday life.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll look at how overprotection translates to everyday actions, how it affects a child&#8217;s emotional development, and <strong>what parents can do instead<\/strong>. We&#8217;ll break down Guerrero&#8217;s key points and offer practical tips to help raise more <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/relationships-and-society\/raising-confident-kids-the-2-word-phrase-parents-should-avoid-according-to-an-ivy-league-psychologist-6467\/\"><strong>confident and independent kids<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Overprotection: the parenting mistake that can make kids insecure<\/h2>\n<p>Rafa Guerrero is clear about this: overprotected kids often grow up feeling <strong>incapable of making their own decisions<\/strong>. He explains that when parents constantly step in, make decisions, and solve problems for their children, the message the child receives is simple: &#8220;you can&#8217;t do it&#8221;. This may not be what parents intend, but it&#8217;s what the child learns.<\/p>\n<p>As adults, these children often <strong>struggle to set boundaries, manage frustration, or trust themselves<\/strong>. They become dependent, insecure, and unsure about even small choices. Guerrero warns that this often comes from the parents&#8217; own fear, not the child&#8217;s. Parents worry their child might fail, get hurt, or make mistakes, so they step in too early and too often.<\/p>\n<p>This kind of parenting blocks the child&#8217;s natural curiosity. Guerrero says kids aren&#8217;t naturally afraid\u2014they&#8217;re curious. But when adults get in the way, <strong>the child learns to second-guess their instincts<\/strong>. Over time, they rely on others to guide them, losing the confidence to act on their own.<\/p>\n<p>It starts with simple things: not letting the child ride a bike, pour water, or climb at the playground. These are small acts, but they matter. When kids aren&#8217;t allowed to try, fail, and try again, <strong>they miss key emotional lessons<\/strong>, such as how to tolerate frustration, how to trust themselves, and how to recover after mistakes.<\/p>\n<h2>What parents can do instead<\/h2>\n<p>Overprotection may come from a place of love, but it&#8217;s not helping kids in the long run. Guerrero argues that kids need guidance, not control. Here&#8217;s what parents can do instead:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Let kids face small challenges<\/strong>: Allow them to make age-appropriate choices and experience the results. That&#8217;s how they learn to think and act for themselves.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay close, but don&#8217;t interfere<\/strong>: Be present without jumping in. Let them try, fail, and try again. Support with words, not actions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Validate their feelings<\/strong>: When they feel frustrated or upset, acknowledge it. Let them know it&#8217;s okay to struggle and that mistakes are part of the learning process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid linking love to success<\/strong>: Show them that they&#8217;re loved simply for who they are, not for their achievements. This builds <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/sports\/training\/neither-baseball-nor-hockey-the-best-sport-for-children-under-5-to-foster-discipline-and-self-esteem-12284\/\"><strong>strong self-esteem<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give responsibilities<\/strong>: From a young age, let them help at home, make decisions, and solve simple problems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Watch your own fears<\/strong>: When an issue arises, ask yourself if it&#8217;s about them or yourself. Recognizing your insecurities helps you step back when needed and avoid unnecessary arguments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Letting go isn&#8217;t easy, but it&#8217;s a necessary part of parenting. Kids grow and develop when they&#8217;re <strong>allowed to explore and make mistakes in a safe space<\/strong>. Parents don&#8217;t need to remove every obstacle; just walk beside them while they learn to navigate life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to psychologist Rafa Guerrero, overprotecting children during their early years often leads to adults who can&#8217;t make decisions, doubt themselves, and feel lost in everyday life. In this article, we&#8217;ll look at how overprotection translates to everyday actions, how it affects a child&#8217;s emotional development, and what parents can do instead. We&#8217;ll break down &#8230; <a title=\"A psychologist warns: The parenting mistake that can raise indecisive and insecure adults\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/relationships-and-society\/a-psychologist-warns-the-parenting-mistake-that-can-raise-indecisive-and-insecure-adults-16397\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about A psychologist warns: The parenting mistake that can raise indecisive and insecure adults\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships-and-society"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16398,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16397\/revisions\/16398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}