Edit Your Life Episode 158: Untangling Overparenting [Rebroadcast]

Today’s episode is sponsored by Hopster, an award-winning learning and entertainment app for kids ages 2-6. Today’s episode is also sponsored by KiwiCo, maker of super cool, hands-on projects that make STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) fun! For great deals from both of these sponsors, tune in to our episode!

Overparenting can take many forms—the extreme being, say, bribing and cheating your kid’s way into college. And while the college bribery scandal is an over-the-top example, it does bring up the overarching issue of all the ways kids are undermined when parents go overboard smoothing the road for them. In Episode 158 of the Edit Your Life podcast, Asha and I share fresh commentary on overparenting, then rebroadcast an interview with Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure. Jessica and I talk about letting go of control, how ignoring the grade portal actually encourages learning, and how lovingly stepping back doesn’t have to feel like walking away.

Click “play” above to listen. If the player isn’t visible, listen directly at SoundCloud.com, or use a podcast app on your phone or tablet. Not sure how? Click here for directions.

Resources mentioned in this episode

Minimalist Parenting (our book)
The 2019 college bribery scandal (the event which prompted this rebroadcast and our opening commentary)
Jessica Lahey (website)
Jessica’s YouTube channel
The Gift of Failure (Jessica’s Book)
#AmWriting (podcast by Jessica Lahey & KJ Dell’Antonia)
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Backstory on The Stinky & Dirty show
Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy, and Fulfilling Lives by Rachel Simmons
Edit Your Life Episode 27: Modeling Imperfection
Helping A Perfectionist Child Worry Less and Do More by Jessica Lahey
How to Parent and Teach Perfectionist Kids (Jessica’s YouTube video)
The One Thing You Can Do When the Homework Is Killing You All by KJ Dell’Antonia
The Downside of Checking Kids’ Grades Constantly by Jessica Lahey

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