In conversation with Naren

In tete-a-tete, we cover conversations of parents with Naren. We of course, only share the ones that the parents are comfortable sharing with the world. We hope that these conversations inspire you, inform you, or help you in some way at all, in your parenting journey.

Here’s a story on “overprotective parenting” that a parent shared with Naren.
“My father and mother loved me to the moon and back. Father was easygoing and fun. I could have chats with him about so many things. But father was away on the ship for most of the year. He was in Merchant Navy. My mother was a beautiful, wonderful woman, but was anxiety-prone and worried. I think, being a sort of single parent made her worry a lot. In retrospect, I understand her woes better. But back when I was 6 years old, her over-protection was tough to deal with. She did not let me learn cycling or play many sports because she was worried that I would get hurt. That I was fragile little girl. I started getting agitated. It was like someone clipping my wings. It started affecting my confidence levels. I got drawn into books, which helped me. But I was this shy, meek, angry girl without many friends or the will to do much.
Then, when I was in my 10th standard, my father came back home for good. No more being on the ship for most part of the year. He took up some job here. That’s when our lives changed. With my father around, my mother herself was a gregarious, happy, joyful woman. He helped her let go of her unnecessary worries. Her overprotection started ebbing away. I finally started going out on my own with friends, even learning new skills and going for classes. He made sure that I blossomed into a confident young woman. I learned cycling when I was 16.

My family is now a haven where we help each other chase our dreams, while being grounded in love, support and joy.”

Joyline Fernandes
What do you think about this story on overprotective parenting? Do leave your thoughts in the comments section. And don’t forget to subscribe for our course!