poll: which is worse, overprotective, spoiling, or smothering parents?

Question

i know there are way worse things (eg. abuse, molestation,) a parent can do. but between those 3 things, which do you hate the most?

thanks. overprotectiveness is annoying but its for your own good, parents 'grow out' of that smothering stage becuase kids know when they are being smothered, but spoiling?

lol i was spoiled as a really little kid.

Answer 1

I think over protectiveness is the worse. The parents protect and hide things that they feel are bad from this child that when they are finally able to go into the world alone they are faced with things they never knew existed. I don't think being over protective is good at all.

Answer 2

As a parent, I have a different definition of spoiling than most of my contemporaries. I do not believe that children can possibly receive too much love or attention, it is when parents substitute love and attention with things that children become spoiled. Overprotectiveness, however annoying does come from a place of love. A parent can not bear the the thought of anything bad happening to their child although intellectually they know that they can not shield them from all bad things.
Smothering carries the idea if suffocation which is unhealthy.

Answer 3

Spoiling. Because of the adults it spews onto the rest of us.
I was overprotected, and though I made more of target, I learned and grew up. A child that is smothered, either learns a lot of tolerance [which isn't bad in an adult], or is distant or workaholic. These aren't the greatest things, but much less evil than a spoiled adult demanding to the rest of us. And one can outgrow the distance thing.

Answer 4

Spoiling if a kid is a good kid and feels grateful isn't a negative, and protecting without being hypocrodriatic about it is just love. I think SMOTHERING is the only trait I'd hate if my parents had. Luckily for me, they did not.

Answer 5

Spoiling

Answer 6

i think spoiling is the worse as that stays with them i think and they learn to expect things for nothing or without any hard work. i can see how smothering would be annoying and unbearable. overprotecting would be annoying to, but i dont think that it would harm the child as much in later life as with spoiling does.

Answer 7

Smothering a child leaves no room for them to grow and venture out. Some parents find this out too late.

Answer 8

Smothering parents.

Answer 9

Definitely Spoiling. Spoiled kids are the worst!

Answer 10

Spoiling. I work with kids and the spoiled ones look you right in the eye and tell you they're used to getting what they want. Then they whine if you don't give it to them, and I usually don't if they don't need it. Giving children a sense of entitlement on that level sets them up for disappointment later in life.