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Actually, I tend to agree, 'cos I somewhat agree with rt it diagnoses symptoms better than problems Joel Send a noteboard - 11/01/2011 11:53:48 PM
Also, the section on college students irks me a bit. ;) I didn't know anyone who was in such close contact with their parents at school. Maybe one in a hundred students are like that, and maybe they really annoy the professors, but it's not common. And the use of cell phones to set up study sessions is a completely silly and trivial complaint.

That last part struck me even as I read it, but the spectacle of overinvolved parents interfering on their childrens behalf but to their long term detriment is not new, just more common. Colleges aren't school districts, so there aren't nearly as many parents capable of that level of interference, but that only means the erstwhile terror of the PTA is generally unable to bully university presidents, not unwilling. It's anecdotal, but the article references an example of just how pernicious that can be when the will is accompanied by the ability.
I guess part of me reads that section and feels vaguely self-conscious, because I was one of those kids who went off to university and became overwhelmed by anxiety and unable to complete my studies. Is this because I am a wimp? Because my parents over-sanitized my childhood?

Wait, no. I gloried in the baking of mud pies, fell out of trees, got a job at 14, and received plenty of physical discipline. My childhood was actually very old-fashioned. The real world, not so much.

*nods* I can see that, too, and there were parts of that I felt did and didn't apply to me, but if any of it is true the salient point that failure must be owned to be overcome certainly is.
The article as a whole contains some very good/interesting points, but I don't think the link between a more old-fashioned childhood and psychological well-being is so simple. Children need a balance between comfort and toughness. Stray too far in either direction, or keep them cordoned off from the social/technological demands of the world, and they will have difficulty functioning as versatile adults. Also remember that we now expect any given person to be capable in a huge variety of different social/professional settings, which is not an easy thing to ask. Maybe anxiety was less severe in the past partly because there were more defined pathways and more familiar environments for young people.

"Children need a balance between comfort and toughness" is the real impact the article had on me, despite the fact I don't think that was the authors intent. The Joan Crawford School of Parenting has well documented flaws, but the Purple Dinosaur School has flaws just as fatal if less immediately obvious. Life is neither constant sunshine nor rain, and everyone should learn and deal with that sooner rather than later.
Oh, and I had Dr. Joffe (UIUC) as a psychologist for a while. Did not like. :P He spent my "therapy sessions" ranting to me about the problems of binge drinking on campus, despite the fact that I have always been a moderate to non-drinker and didn't really care.

Seems like a rather bad person to be in charge of their suicide prevention program then; isn't listening rather than lecturing to patients kind of Psychology 101? Sorry he was so useless to you.

Good to hear from you again though; I'm in and out of FB so little that it's been too long. How's Seattle, the boyfriend, the pippy (a pippy is puppy named "Pippin", you see ;)) and, of course, you? Not missing lake effect snow, I bet. You and April manage a visit yet?
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Child Psychology: Are Todays Parents Mental? - 06/01/2011 11:21:53 PM 1211 Views
Fuck. *NM* - 06/01/2011 11:29:00 PM 225 Views
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... *NM* - 06/01/2011 11:47:19 PM 300 Views
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I find this interesting on two levels: - 06/01/2011 11:33:31 PM 734 Views
As one of today's mental parents... - 07/01/2011 12:01:36 AM 854 Views
Agreed. - 07/01/2011 12:34:18 AM 798 Views
Re: Agreed. - 07/01/2011 03:04:53 PM 762 Views
Very interesting article, thanks for posting. - 07/01/2011 01:36:51 AM 798 Views
Not surprising. - 07/01/2011 01:52:57 PM 731 Views
Re: Not surprising. - 07/01/2011 02:21:55 PM 755 Views
Yeah, Macharius pretty well covered it. - 07/01/2011 06:34:13 PM 717 Views
meh - 07/01/2011 02:34:47 PM 711 Views
I disagree; even to the extent that's the real problem it's still down to indulgent parents. - 07/01/2011 04:52:26 PM 786 Views
exterem paretnal involment is being overstated - 08/01/2011 03:10:09 AM 711 Views
It's extreme indulgence, not involvement. - 08/01/2011 03:44:43 AM 738 Views
"Kids need to feel badly sometimes"? What should we do? Dip their fingers in acid? - 07/01/2011 03:00:17 PM 640 Views
This. - 07/01/2011 06:10:30 PM 593 Views
I would classify editing the N-word out of Huckleberry Finn to apply to this issue... - 07/01/2011 11:26:05 PM 673 Views
"Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another. - 07/01/2011 11:51:03 PM 596 Views
Re: "Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another. - 09/01/2011 12:20:47 AM 716 Views
If the stakes are small or there's no alternative I don't mind going with your gut. - 09/01/2011 01:20:42 AM 675 Views
Re: If the stakes are small or there's no alternative I don't mind going with your gut. - 09/01/2011 01:28:28 AM 616 Views
Sadly so. - 09/01/2011 01:32:23 AM 616 Views
Re: Sadly so. - 09/01/2011 01:41:39 AM 560 Views
Hadn't seen that, no. - 09/01/2011 11:21:20 PM 711 Views
Re: Hadn't seen that, no. - 10/01/2011 04:59:53 PM 748 Views
. *NM* - 09/01/2011 12:43:38 PM 341 Views
Re: . - 09/01/2011 10:40:00 PM 646 Views
well your reply shows us what we end up with if we have over indulgent parnets - 10/01/2011 04:08:38 PM 662 Views
It's a good article, but contains a bit of oversimplification. - 11/01/2011 09:36:35 PM 658 Views
Actually, I tend to agree, 'cos I somewhat agree with rt it diagnoses symptoms better than problems - 11/01/2011 11:53:48 PM 853 Views
Re: Actually, I tend to agree - 15/01/2011 08:04:58 PM 688 Views
Re: Actually, I tend to agree - 15/01/2011 11:30:08 PM 674 Views

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