Why too much can be too little

Constance Dawson, featured speaker of the March Coffee Break program organized by the PTA, is working to spread the word that overindulgence isn’t just about “spoiling” kids -- it’s a form of neglect.

Well-intentioned parents can actually wind up shielding their children from taking part in key developmental tasks and learning necessary life lessons. Overindulgence is giving children too much of what looks good, too soon, and for too long.

It’s giving them things or experiences that are not appropriate for their age or their interests and talents. It is the process of giving things to children to meet the adult’s needs, not the child’s needs, so children experience scarcity in the midst of plenty.

Overindulgence is doing or having so much of something that it does active harm or at least stagnates a person and deprives that person of achieving his or her full potential.

Parents and caregivers can overindulge in a variety of ways, usually by giving too much, by over-nurturing, and by not providing a strong or consistent structure.

For a quick self-assessment, parents were asked to consider: