Welcome to Litsy!

I have mixed feelings on this. There is some valuable perspective here on a certain type of American parenting, but it is obscured (for me at least) by the author‘s focus on a privileged bubble. It was tiring to read about unrealistic expectations that seem to be fueled by that bubble, but it wasn‘t all useless. Worth skimming but skip over the first 1/3 to 1/2 and read the rest if you don‘t live in the same kind of community as she does.

Ugh! “Study what you love and the rest will follow” is far too simplistic for me. I guess this book is thought-provoking but really, that‘s your advice to undergrads? I just don‘t think that‘s good enough to be honest.

“…chores in childhood is an essential contributor to success later in life…Chores matter a great deal” I thought this might be the case but hadn‘t read about it until now. It makes sense.

More than ready for this part. She could be right that some of this overparenting she‘s worried about is more widespread than I had thought. However I‘m not sure I‘m ready to throw everything out when it comes to parenting. Let‘s see what this section proposes…

This is actually not from the author but from Madeline Levine, a psychologist, who suggests we unwittingly cause harm when we “do for our kids what they can already do for themselves,” “do for our kids what they can almost do,” and when our parenting is “motivated by our own ego.”

Hmm I‘m finding this much less persuasive than I had hoped so far. I‘m 75 pages in and found the first section to be just ok. Let‘s see what the rest is like…

Not sure this is the best read for someone trying to put in 8 hours of telework and homeschool a precocious 7 year old, but it was next in the pile and is definitely some food for thought...

I can think of many parents in my own community who need to read this book, and I definitely found plenty of useful information to help prevent falling into the overparenting trap. Especially during times that I may feel vulnerable about my choices and values because they differ from the norm in my community.

I feel like I am in a generation of parents that want to bubble wrap our kids, which does nothing to prepare them for adulthood.⬇️⬇️

No words needed. 😼😹 #catsoflitsy #HelloKitty

Needless to say, I‘m not getting any reading done at the moment. 🤣

Enjoying a late breakfast post-workout. Messy GF avocado toast, my egg didn‘t slice nicely. 😂 With no pressing chores, I hope to get a lot of reading time in today!

A loaded statement. I wish the author included more than just one anecdotal story about this. I‘m curious if there is research to back it up. There certainly is a growing epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse in young adults from affluent areas, and it‘s definitely something I think about often with a new middle schooler with a family history of addiction (my birth mom and sister).

Comfortingly, this book is validating most of my parenting choices!

Oh, am I in your way? That‘s what you get for taking me to the vet today. 😼 #CatsofLitsy #HelloKitty

I love traveling, it‘s one of my favorite hobbies, but it‘s always good to come home to my fur babies! (One is photo bombing in the background 😂 #HelloKitty).

I don‘t pick Maya up from camp until Friday, so I have two days of quality alone time while hubby is at work. Just finished up the grocery list, so grabbing some reading time before heading to the store. #booksandtea #CatsofLitsy

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

I‘m sure this book generates a lot of discussion! Recommended by Maya‘s principal, there are certainly a lot of parents in the suburbs where I live that fall into the overparenting trap. Curious to see if any of my parenting habits are problematic to this author, and if so, her advice on best practice.

Kind of ironic that I follow up an #earlyreaders mini-binge with a parenting book for the tween and teen years. 😃 This came highly recommended from Maya‘s elementary school principal, who always has excellent taste in books! #catsoflitsy #HelloKitty

Through case examples, studies & by the author herself, this book teaches us that we need to raise our children not from a position of fear (which is the root of over-parenting), but from a position of love & understanding. We need to let them be who they are & not who we want them to be. That our job is to raise them not to be our best friends, but to be functioning, confident adults. A must read for all parents no matter the age of your kids!

Reading a book about how to stop being a helicopter parent while watching the kids swim.

As a child of the 70s, I just love this...

A little not so lite reading this afternoon

Let's see how much reading I can get in while the kids are watching Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. Bets anyone? 😁 #MommyBookwormProblems Update: it took 2 pages.

Wow does this book spark interesting conversations about how to parent children!! While taking in this the material, my husband and I debated many issues in lauding can our 7 year old walk two blocks to school alone. I loved having the societal norms challenged throughout this book.

Interesting reading material while at a trampoline park with a million kids this morning. :P