We. Must. Protect. Our. Kids.

Why Some Parents Are Safety Obsessed

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

I have some friends who are absolutely insane over the safety of their children. Of course, I do everything to keep my kids safe, like baby-proofing the house, getting them their vaccinations, etc., but some of theses parents are just obsessed with safety and spend hours on the Internet getting advice and spend thousands of dollars on safety products. Is all of this really necessary and why the sudden trend towards over-protection?

Sincerely,

Not So Safety Obsessed

Dear Not So Safety Obsessed,

Boomer fear has been equated with good parenting and it's time to put a stop to the helicopter parenting that is out of control. Baby-proof your house, yes, sure, but when you start spending more on baby-proofing than some small countries spend on national security, consider that you've gone overboard.

Part of this trend is because women (and men) wait later in life to have babies, and these older moms and dads have more disposable income to spend on junior. And his or her safety.

Part of this trend is fueled by older parents having difficulty conceiving first babies and when they do, after spending several years of concerted effort and dipping into savings for infertility treatments, they want to protect their investment.

Part of this trend is fueled by the technology boom which sometimes allows too much information too quickly into our inboxes. It's much easier to be on top of what vaccinations are toxic, what paint has lead in it, what carbon monoxide detectors are recommended by how many pediatricians, etc. A self conscious trend in parenting consumes this information and works it. Overtime.

And lastly, the age old concept of keeping up with the Jones' makes going green and all natural and organic babies the gold standard in modern living. Whose baby was nursed the longest becomes the blue ribbon topic of competition among what used to be the Birkenstock crowd and is now the generic Starbucks crowd.

Safe is great. Common sense is even better. But neurotic is not your most graceful option as a parent.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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