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We’re ‘breeding the desire for autonomy out of our kids’: Julie Lythcott-Haims on overparenting

Photo of Julie Lythcott-Haims
Julie Lythcott-Haims explains how overparenting deprives children of the chance to learn critical skills. (Photo: Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service)

We’re ‘breeding the desire for autonomy out of our kids’: Julie Lythcott-Haims on overparenting

In this episode of School's In, Julie Lythcott-Haims shares some of the warning signs of “helicopter parenting” and tips on how to avoid it.

It’s terrifying to watch your child go through the ups and downs of life—but swooping in to intervene does more harm than good, says Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean of freshmen at Stanford and author of the New York Times best-seller How to Raise an Adult. 

In this episode of School’s In, Lythcott-Haims joins Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and Senior Lecturer Denise Pope to share what she’s learned about overparenting, including ways to identify and avoid it in your own family. 

“We don’t want to send our kids out into the world to be slaughtered because they lack the basic skills to make their way without us,” she cautions.

Listen from the link below, and find more episodes of School's In at the Stanford Radio main page. The show airs Saturdays on SiriusXM Insight Channel 121.

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