#123: Hara Estroff Marano — Author of “A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting,” Award-Winning Writer and Editor-at-Large for Psychology Today

Bring It In | The Future of Work, Jobs, and Education

Despite mountains of research showing how “helicopter parenting” is incredibly detrimental for kids, it still happens. A University of Michigan study published this year said that while the majority of parents said they encouraged kids to ‘do things for themselves,’ half also felt that unsupervised kids caused trouble, and a third felt that their kids weren’t ready to be left alone.

It’s this cognitive dissonance from parents that today’s guest, Hara Estroff Marano, says is not just seriously harming kids, but our society as a whole.

Hara is the Editor-at-Large at Psychology Today, where she honed in on the rising epidemic of serious mental health illnesses in college age children. Her research done for the ‘Blues Buster’ newsletter led her to write two books, “Why Doesn’t Anybody Like Me?: A Guide to Raising Socially Confident Kids” and “A Nation of Wimps: The High Cost of Invasive Parenting” where she puts most of the responsibility on the mental health crisis many young people are experiencing from one source: parents.

Hara points out how invasive parenting strips kids of important experiences, and leaves them underdeveloped to deal with many of life's challenges, which she believes not only has underlying consequences for the workforce, but for our very societal institutions.

This is another episode that’s essential for leaders everywhere to listen to, so with that…let’s bring it in!