Commenting on the enabling behaviour of parents, SMU Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business Paul Lim said parents often do this out of love, “drowning our children in love”. “But this kind of love is not the kind of love we should give them. Rather, we should love them in a way that invests in their growth and gives them skills for the future.” He added, “This includes letting them experience the consequences of their actions within safe boundaries.” He further explained that as parents, we respond in such ways because we see the consequence as a “threat” rather than a “challenge” to be overcome. However, he also cautioned against swinging to the other extreme and deliberately creating uncomfortable conditions to the point where the child’s mental health and physical safety are jeopardised.
