They are called Jellyfish Parents - you know...no backbone...Instead of dictating their child's life, jellyfish parents just let the child decide.
Parenting expert and author Jason Wilcox profiles these new parents: "Parents who might want to lean on this approach if they are a little bit conflict-avoidant or they don't want to deal with tough issues." Jellyfish parents go with the flow, following their child's lead, and usually don't set rules or enforce consequences. "For the most part your kids are going to want to choose what's right but it does come with a load of side effects: Your kid could be a lot more demanding and selfish. That entitled behavior!"
But Wilcox says telling your kids what to do without seeing things from their perspective doesn't work either. "Go far to the Jellyfish Side - and you'll lose influence. Go to the other extreme - you'll REALLY lose influence. When you're guiding them and have structure - you're going to get a lot further!"
Wilcox says you can either raise a functioning kid - or an arrogant kid who wants to get his way. Click here to see the book he co-authored with Elizabeth A. Jenkins PhD , and his wife, Thaen Saelee PsyD.
Photo:Getty
Arrogant child and back-bone-less parents