Parenting is one of the most important things the average person does within their lifetime. It’s a task that, whether planned or not, is extremely significant , seeing as it is one of the most influential factors in determining what type of adult a child will turn out to be. Like all things that are of importance, there is much debate on what people consider to be good and bad parenting techniques. One of the most discussed topics relating to parenting is that of strictness. Is it better for a child’s development to give them more free range with fewer restrictions in order to develop their problem-solving skills? Or is giving them hard limits and strict rules in order to develop their discipline better? Of course, most parents find the answer to be somewhere in between, but it is an important question to ask, especially because this generation seems to have a lot more parental supervision than previous ones. It’s facts like these that truly raise the question, is childhood today oversupervised?
When it comes to the differences between this generation’s parenting and previous ones, one of the most obvious changes I notice is that of constant contact with one’s parents. This change is almost entirely due to the advent of easily accessible mobile phones. Nowadays, it is all too easy to call and keep in contact with one another. Overall, I would definitely say that this is a good thing but it does lead to some annoyances. I know many people who have had issues with their parents constantly pestering them whenever they are out.
While I understand that this is more often than not done out of love and care, it doesn’t change the fact that this can get quite annoying. This can also often be an underlying issue/example of helicopter parenting, in which parents constantly supervise and oversee their child’s actions without giving them leeway to make some of their own decisions. From my own observations, it seems that this type of parenting has become far more common in recent decades. I believe that this is a result of the news media and their constant negative coverage, which has led to parents becoming more protective of their children. I should note that I do not have much evidence to back this claim up, as it is solely reliant on my own observations. The reason for this is due to the fact that the reason why this is happening isn’t the point of this article; rather the point is to determine whether or not the effects of this type of “oversupervision” is a good thing for the children involved, and I believe I have reached the answer, no.
I don’t believe that this type of parenting, be it for the sake of the child’s safety or not, is actually in the best interests of the child. I believe that children, and really people in general, learn best from their mistakes, and by overly supervising, you take away a lot of a child’s chances to make these mistakes. I also believe that this type of parenting can lead to a child having a more difficult time making their own decisions. A lack of childhood self-decision making can also lead to someone having less confidence in themselves during adulthood. All these things added together can lead to some major life consequences for the adulthood of a child raised by this type of parenting.
Until I am proven otherwise, my observations on the effects of over-supervision have led me to believe that the positives are far outweighed by the potential negatives. First of all, I have yet to see statistical evidence that backs the higher strictness and worry by parents. We live in one of the safest periods ever, with 2025 having one of the lowest violent crime rates in recorded U.S. history. I simply don’t think the increased fear by parents for their children’s safety is warranted, at least, not compared to the risks of turning your child into a non-self-reliant adult. It is for these reasons I have stated that I do, in fact, believe that the childhoods of today are oversupervised.
