Too much support may hamper kids' development

Culture: Making it simple, parents who coddle and try to save their child every single time make them a bunch of wussies.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moms and dads who both offer lots of support and reassurance when their young children express negative emotions may not be doing them a favor, new research shows. Studies in four- and five-year-olds found that the children whose parents reacted with differing levels of support to their emotional setbacks were actually more emotionally mature and handled conflict better, Dr. Nancy L. McElwain of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her colleagues found. "It's good to give your child some support, but also at the same time some space to manage the problem," McElwain told Reuters Health.