Category: Early Childhood Development

The effects of permissive parentingdo not end at childhood. Researchon the long-term effects of parentingstyle consistently finds that theparenting approaches children experienceshape their adult psychological functioning —including their vulnerability toanxiety — in ways that persist wellbeyond childhood and adolescence. This article covers what the researchshows about the specific relationshipbetween permissive parenting andanxiety in adulthood —…

The relationship between permissiveparenting and anxiety in childrenis one of the more counterintuitivefindings in developmental psychology.Parents who choose permissive approachestypically do so out of a genuinedesire to protect their childrenfrom unnecessary distress — to createa warm, low-pressure environmentwhere children feel safe and loved.The research consistently finds thatthis approach, despite its intentions,is associated with higher ratherthan…

Anxiety and depression frequentlyoccur together in children and adolescents —and when they do, the combinationis more challenging to navigate thaneither condition alone. Research findsthat approximately fifty percent ofchildren with an anxiety disorderalso have depression — and thatthe combination produces greaterimpairment, greater distress, andrequires more comprehensive supportthan either condition in isolation. This article covers what the…

Anxiety is the most common mentalhealth condition in childhood — andone of the most commonly missed.Not because parents don’t care, butbecause childhood anxiety rarelyannounces itself clearly. It hidesin stomachaches and school refusal,in clinginess and perfectionism, inirritability and sleep difficulties —in a dozen presentations that don’timmediately say “this is anxiety.” This article covers the full rangeof…

Bedtime anxiety is one of the mostcommon — and most exhausting — anxietypresentations in childhood. The childwho cannot fall asleep alone, whocalls out repeatedly after lights out,who catastrophizes at bedtime abouteverything that worried them duringthe day, who needs a parent presentto fall asleep — is not being manipulativeor attention-seeking. They are experiencinggenuine anxiety that is…

Anxiety in young children is bothmore common and more treatable thanmost parents realize — and more easilymissed, because children under tenrarely say “I’m anxious.” They saytheir tummy hurts. They say theydon’t want to go. They cling, theycry, they melt down, they withdraw.The anxiety is real — but it speaksin the language of childhood ratherthan the…

School anxiety is one of the mostcommon anxiety presentations in childhood —and one of the most distressing forparents to navigate. The child whocries every morning before school,who complains of stomachaches onschool days, who begs to stay home,or who refuses to go altogether —is not being manipulative or dramatic.They are experiencing genuine anxietyabout the school environment…

Most research on permissive parentingfocuses on its effects during childhood —the lower self-regulation, the reducedfrustration tolerance, the worse academicoutcomes that research consistentlyassociates with growing up withoutadequate structure. Less discussed —but equally important — is whathappens when children raised permissivelybecome adults. The research on permissive parentingand adult outcomes tells a specificand sobering story — and one…

Recognizing that your parenting hasbeen too permissive is one of themost honest and most courageous thingsa parent can do. It is also oneof the most common — because permissiveparenting feels, in the moment, likegood parenting. It feels like warmth,flexibility, and responsiveness. Therecognition that it is actually underminingthe child’s development can arriveas a genuine shock. The…

Uninvolved parenting is the fourthand least discussed of the fourparenting styles identified in DianaBaumrind’s foundational research —and the one most consistently associatedwith the worst outcomes for childrenacross virtually every domain studied.Unlike the other three styles —authoritative, authoritarian, andpermissive — uninvolved parentingis characterized not by a particularapproach to warmth or disciplinebut by the relative absence of…