A Hard Look at Uptight Parenting

People tend to approach parenting in the same way that they approach all of life. If they are nervous and uptight about their job, their spouse, their car, and their diet, they will be uptight as parents about their children. They may want to consider hiring someone else to raise their kids or buy antacid stock. It is easy to become uptight about your kids. If you live in a questionable area, you can worry about their safety, friends, and personal development. With a first child, every sneeze becomes a big deal.

The uptight parent spends life waiting for the other shoe to drop. No matter how good their children are, they are convinced that something terrible is about to happen. If they allow them to go out with friends, they will fret and worry about food poisoning, kidnapping, and car accidents until they show up safely on the front door. Many of these fears are unrealistic in a given case, but we all know of people who have faced them.

With babies, uptight parents spend half of the night listening for their baby's breathing. They are afraid if the child isn't porky that it's not eating enough. If it's on the pudgy side, they worry about obesity. Nothing ever allays their fears. Babies are spooky enough without adding to the fear quota. It is easy to worry about them. They are little and fragile and have trouble with communicating except by crying, which can be rather generic. Uptight parents need to realize that millions of babies grow up just fine every year, and theirs probably will, too. They will always respond that this is easier said than done.

The number trips to the pediatrician and emergency rooms are shooting for new records. Every cough and sneeze is typhoid fever or whooping cough. If the child is active, they are looking for drugs to slow them down. Every movement has the potential to set off worries and concerns. Should their child be docile, these parents will become concerned that their child has some developmental disability.