at the beach today listening to SO MUCH over-parenting

[GretchenWiener]

So there I am, lying with eyes shut with several families around. really nice day and lots of happy playing by lovely kids.

but OMG - parents give your kids a sodding break. Endless instructions issued, everything micromanaged to the Nth degree. Kids told the same thing three times in about two minutes when they are obviously doing something else first (all surf board related).
I really felt for them.

When I read how to talk ( the book) it said that we all do it. Today it seemed super true. Do you over instruct or question?

Cod, no I don't worry about being judged externally. I do think about my parenting style ie how I try and deal with certain situations, I'm quite analytical but I do it more for me and my kids, maybe I'm judging myself! Am sure I have been at times by others but it doesn't affect the way I deal with my children when we're out and about.

Hmmm

I find managing children is not that different to managing drunk people

Dingaling. (It's me) that was exactly the case in the op

BogQueen my brother says that too!

Apparently Mrs Hitler spent every waking moment nagging little Adolf not to annexe neighbouring countries.

Didn't make a blind bit of difference - by the age of five he was marching into sandcastles left right and centre when the family holidayed in Nuremburg-on-Sea.

I sometimes giggle at 'don't go in the water, don't go in the water ... Okay just one foot in the water ..,, okay just 2 feet into the water.
I've been there myself - aren't young children the experts at redrawing battle lines !

Oh god I do that too. I just feel tired sometimes

Also - sometimes children are right to push boundaries, sometimes they force you to reevaluate and that's a good thing

Obnoxious?

Simply pointing out that some posters are very negative and derogatory about others, and that might seep in to their interactions with others and be a contributing factor to feelings of not fitting in.

Wrong thread!

On the over/under parenting scale how does MN rate watching from about 50 yrds as your older child (15) throws seaweed at your younger (11) and yells 'jelly fish' so that the younger child screams, falls over and panics, does a windmill impression and runs out of the sea screaming. .... and laughing like a drain?

In my defence it WAS very funny.

tick tick

That is funny IrianofWay There are loads of times I really should bollock my DC but instead I find myself stifling a laugh. The most recent was when ds2 accidentally spat out some juice onto the carpet in ds1's room. Ds1 was so appalled he went into ds2's room and spat on his carpet. It sounds disgusting and indeed it was (and I did tell them off) but it was so ridiculous I couldn't help find it funny.