Am I a Hyperparent?

My brother sent me a link to this article, and when I read the headline: “How to Let Go of Hyperparenting and Learn to Relax With Your Kids,” I didn’t think I needed to read it because I am so clearly NOT a hyperparent.

I have never been one to fuss over my kids– even babies. Whereas some mothers carry around a thermos so their baby’s bottle will be warm, I’m thinking, “Hey, if I never give my baby a warm bottle then she will not expect it.” I also totally believe in the 10-second rule for crackers, lollipops, and, yes, even binkies. (gasp!) Okay, I think I might have sucked off any dirt from the binkies myself before handing it back to my baby, but I wasn’t racing all over the place trying to find a bathroom or drinking fountain to wash things off, and my kids have always been very healthy.

For most moms, now realizing that kids are pretty resilient, the second child is so much easier because they finally let themselves relax a little. I have always thought that I parented this way even with my first. I was raised in a family with seven (yes 7!) kids. I was second to oldest and my two youngest sisters are twins. My mother had her hands pretty full, and she relied on my older sister and I for help (although looking back, I’m not sure how much help I really was). I was pretty sure that I had plenty of parenting experience and decided to skip the how-to books and just let things come naturally.

So when I got that email from my brother this morning, I was reflexively going to archive it without reading, but I decided to just quickly skim through. Surprisingly I found the author’s suggestions useful (particularly numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 & 9), and, though I loathe to admit it, applicable to my own parenting.