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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 1201 Views
Fuck. *NM* - 06/01/2011 11:29:00 PM 221 Views
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... *NM* - 06/01/2011 11:47:19 PM 295 Views
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I find this interesting on two levels: - 06/01/2011 11:33:31 PM 725 Views
As one of today's mental parents... - 07/01/2011 12:01:36 AM 845 Views
Agreed. - 07/01/2011 12:34:18 AM 790 Views
Re: Agreed. - 07/01/2011 03:04:53 PM 750 Views
Very interesting article, thanks for posting. - 07/01/2011 01:36:51 AM 788 Views
Not surprising. - 07/01/2011 01:52:57 PM 720 Views
Re: Not surprising. - 07/01/2011 02:21:55 PM 742 Views
Yeah, Macharius pretty well covered it. - 07/01/2011 06:34:13 PM 705 Views
meh - 07/01/2011 02:34:47 PM 701 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 774 Views
exterem paretnal involment is being overstated - 08/01/2011 03:10:09 AM 702 Views
It's extreme indulgence, not involvement. - 08/01/2011 03:44:43 AM 727 Views
"Kids need to feel badly sometimes"? What should we do? Dip their fingers in acid? - 07/01/2011 03:00:17 PM 630 Views
This. - 07/01/2011 06:10:30 PM 584 Views
I would classify editing the N-word out of Huckleberry Finn to apply to this issue... - 07/01/2011 11:26:05 PM 665 Views
"Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another. - 07/01/2011 11:51:03 PM 587 Views
Re: "Undiplomatic" is one thing, "inflammatory" quite another. - 09/01/2011 12:20:47 AM 709 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 664 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 605 Views
Sadly so. - 09/01/2011 01:32:23 AM 605 Views
Re: Sadly so. - 09/01/2011 01:41:39 AM 551 Views
Hadn't seen that, no. - 09/01/2011 11:21:20 PM 698 Views
Re: Hadn't seen that, no. - 10/01/2011 04:59:53 PM 734 Views
. *NM* - 09/01/2011 12:43:38 PM 336 Views
Re: . - 09/01/2011 10:40:00 PM 637 Views
well your reply shows us what we end up with if we have over indulgent parnets - 10/01/2011 04:08:38 PM 652 Views
It's a good article, but contains a bit of oversimplification. - 11/01/2011 09:36:35 PM 648 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 844 Views
Re: Actually, I tend to agree - 15/01/2011 08:04:58 PM 678 Views
Re: Actually, I tend to agree - 15/01/2011 11:30:08 PM 663 Views

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