Hyper parenting is a relatively new concept. One that may be doing more harm than good when it comes to preparing our children for life.

When I was growing up, we came home from school, played outside until we were called for supper. Games of Kick the Can, Red Rover and tag occupied our after school time for about 2 hours. Our parents didn’t see us until the dinner table.

It turns out that this strategy of allowing your kids to play outside is a good one to counter the hyper parenting we see today. Instead of hovering over your child’s every move, let them get physical.

Why? Because a study in April’s Prevention Medicine says hyper parents have less active kids. So stop overloading their schedules and let them have play time! It’s during play time that many kids improve their emotional intelligence by having to get along with others, deal with the mean kid and work in teams.

So stop worrying about your 5-year-old being admitted to an Ivy, let them listen to music other than Mozart, don’t mortgage the house for special tutoring to get ahead–send them outside to play and get them to bed on time!

Reduce your fear!  Stop fretting over creating a successful child and let them be a child!

Somehow with parents who were busy doing life and not hovering over my every move, I managed to figure out things that built my problem-solving skills. I had to think independently, deal with people without parental interference. I played, didn’t attend an Ivy and still built a good life.

Come on parents, take some of the pressure off of you and your children. Let them play a little and be kids!