'No Time To Play': Internet Questions New Parenting Trends in Viral Thread

The concept of overparenting was up for debate on Tuesday after thousands of commenters flocked to one popular internet forum to air their grievances with a myriad of current parenting trends.

In a viral thread published on r/AskReddit, Redditor u/Sam_21000 asked the forum's 35 million members a simple question: "What parenting 'trend' [do] you strongly disagree with?"

Posted two days ago, the thread has received more than 40,000 votes and 22,000 comments.

Offering responses ranging from traditional parenting techniques that have been debated for decades, to newer philosophies allowing varying levels of freedom for children, commenters on the viral Reddit post were quick to express their dismay.

In the thread's top comment, which has received more than 37,000 votes, Redditor u/letmereaditt bashed parents who publicize the ways they punish their children on the internet.

"Recording your children when you punish them," they wrote, responding to the initial prompt.

"That's private — not for the public. Anything posted on the internet lasts forever," they continued. "Children are cruel. Wait until [kids] at school see. They will carry that their entire lives."

Other Redditors echoed a similar sentiment, and questioned parents who constantly share every aspect of their children's lives on social media. But one of the most common responses to the viral thread was about overprotective parents, and how they inadvertently set their children up for failure.

One father, who explained that he and his wife have become "neighborhood pariahs" for letting their children ride bicycles without supervision, said he was confronted by another parent for allowing his kids the smallest of freedoms.

"I've had a parent flat out tell me he won't allow his son to come over without him because I might do something crazy like let them shoot hoops on the basketball net out front without standing there watching them," he wrote.

"Children need a little bit of freedom," he continued. "You can't be expected to make grown up decisions when you never had the opportunity to make child decisions."

According to Very Well Family, an online resource for parenting tips and guidance, "overparenting refers to a parent's attempts to micromanage their child's life."

Overparenting, which involves constant hovering, protecting children from "any hint" of discomfort, and "preventing them from facing the consequences of their behavior," can sometimes be the result of well-intentioned, but overprotective parents.

However, regardless of intention, the practice has the potential to alter behavior patterns — sometimes for the worse.

"Ongoing hypervigilance and overindulgence can have serious consequences, such as stunting a child's development and causing a child to become overly dependent," Very Well Family maintains.

In a popular response to the viral Reddit thread, which has received nearly 30,000 votes, one Redditor echoed this sentiment, and said that children must learn some lessons on their own in order to thrive as adults.

"Kids need to slowly, safely learn to manage risk and that means that they must take risks," they commented. "Not letting kids learn this hurts them as adults and preparing kids for lives as adults is really what parenting is all about."

Redditor u/Kitchen-Withcing, who said they were formerly a kindergarten teacher, said that overparenting also manifests itself in the form of "over scheduling activities."

"When I was teaching, I remember my kindergartners telling me they had no time to play because every day consisted of non-stop structured sports, dance and such," they commented.

Although the majority of the thread's top-voted responses focused solely on overparenting, numerous other parenting trends were discussed, including never saying "no" to children, and giving "the silent treatment" as punishment.

One commenter, though, pointed out that parenting techniques are not universal, and that behavioral needs vary from child to child.

"What works for [one] kid won't work for others," Redditor u/Background_Neck8739 wrote.