This paper summarizes an interview with the psychotherapist Amy Morin, the author of the book 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do, given to Toronto Star. She talked about the methods parents could use to raise mentally healthy and psychologically balanced children. “Helicopter,” or overprotective parenting may have a harmful effect on one’s son and daughter, as they would lack the experience of learning from their mistakes.
Mothers and fathers want to see their children happy; it is a natural desire. However, every person needs to learn how to be independent to resolve problems without parental help. Amy Morin talks about helping children overcome the challenges without shielding them from all the difficulties (Weikle, 2018). She mentions that her mother’s death from a brain aneurysm and husband’s fatal heart attack made her cautious of the grief and mental strength necessary to understand it. Morin built healthy habits, learned not to feel pity toward herself, and shared the experience with the public in her book 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do (Weikle, 2018). The book became popular and was read by millions of people.
Morin writes about avoiding the victim mentality when raising children. They have to understand that the world is not hostile, and challenges can make them stronger in the long run. Another issue the author emphasizes is not centering the attention around the children (Weikle, 2018). Care and support are important, but all humans live in a society, which means one person’s desires may not be the most important thing at a given time. In addition, parents have their interests, hobbies, and goals that should not be sacrificed to raise the children.
Reference
Weikle, B. (2018). Helicopter parenting stunts kids’ emotional growth, psychotherapist says. Toronto Star. Web.