Overparenting Solution

George S. Glass, MD, is a father and grandfather. He has served as a medical doctor and psychiatrist for more than thirty years. Since 1986, he has been helping families, attorneys, and courts deal with the psychological consequences of divorce. Dr. Glass has traveled throughout Texas as a forensic expert in family court cases, as well as conducting group presentations and divorce workshops, and treating patients involved in family disruptions. Dr. Glass has administered, owned, and directed inpatient hospital treatment programs, day hospital programs, a community mental health center, and a residential treatment center, beginning in 1972 when he set up the US Navy’s first alcohol treatment program at the Bethesda Naval Hospital, and he has since served as chairman of departments of psychiatry at several Houston hospitals. Dr. Glass has developed, managed, and conducted independent medical evaluations for the FAA, the Airline Pilots Association, Harris County Medical Society, the Texas State Bar, multiple Fortune 500 companies and their unions, as well as federal, state, and local courts and attorneys who work with them. Please visit www.GeorgeSGlassMDPA.com for more information.David Tabatsky is a parent, writer, editor, and performing artist, based in New York City. Among his more than 50 book projects, he was consulting editor for Marlo Thomas and her New York Times bestseller, The Right Words at the Right Time, Volume 2: Your Turn, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s, The Cancer Book: 101 Stories of Courage, Support and Love, coauthor, with Dr. Mark Banschick, of The Intelligent Divorce—Books One and Two, coauthor, with Dr. Randy Wright, of The Wright Choice: Your Family’s Guide to Healthy Eating, Modern Fitness and Saving Money, and has written essays for The Forward, Parenting, and Sesame Street Parent, among others. He is the also the co-author of several books about cancer, including Rx for Hope, Reimagining Women’s Cancers and Reimagining Men’sCancers, and the author of Write for Life: Communicating Your Way Through Cancer. His memoir, American Misfit, was released in 2017.Please visit www.tabatsky.com.

In this examination of helicopter-parenting, readers learn that one in four parents believes they are the biggest barrier to their children’s independence, and that a study in Beijing posited that overparenting has a detrimental effect on children’s leadership skills, emotional well-being, decision making, and academic performance. Another shows a historical upward trend in the average amount of time modern parents and children spend together; psychiatrist Glass finds that much of this time is now spent on coordinating extracurricular activities or preparing college applications. Here he and Tabatsky analyze parental types (the Protector, the Intervener, the Controller, the Negotiator, the Best-Friender) and share tactics for modeling independence, leadership skills, and decision making. Solid ideas for moving away from overparenting.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: What Is Overparenting and Why Is It a Problem?Chapter 1: Check Yourself: A Personal Parenting AssessmentChapter 2: The Evolution of ParentingChapter 3: Handle with CareChapter 4: Managing Sports and Extra Curriculars Chapter 5: Welcome to iParentingChapter 6: The Negative Consequences of OverparentingChapter 7: Being Mindful and Letting GoChapter 8: Covid-19 and Parenting During a CrisisChapter 9: A Prescription for Healthy Parenting Notes IndexAbout the Authors