Being a mother is a special job. No other job can top the job of being a mother. Yes. You bear the child for 9 months tops, you suffer through childbirth and the next 5-6 years, waking up in the morning, whenever the child awakes, running to their sides once they come home crying. As a mother, you’re not only a hero, you’re everything to any child, whether they show it or not.

Until, of course, 13 years later and the child enters teen hood and higher education – in teen words: building relationships, following fashion trends, taking interests in different kinds of music, styles and different stuff, socialization and most of all, finding oneself and the meaning of their existence.

When this happens, not all children grow up asking their mothers for help. Some even go as far as rebellion to find their limitations and their place in the world. And when this happens, only 2 things can happen. One, mothers can just let their kids go or two, which is what usually happens most and what probably causes more rebellion as time goes by, mothers become overly protective.

It’s not their fault; after all, no mother would like to see their child coming home with a broken heart – or worse, a baby in the works. But is it possible that being overprotective can actually push children to become even more out of control?

Although, no scientific studies have been made to answer that question, it’s quite a no-brainer for most teenagers who are probably nodding their heads while reading the past paragraph.

Life is one great journey. And everyone has their own journey to take – whether as a teen or not. One day, there will come a time that your children will have to learn for themselves. They’ll have to get heartbroken to stand up and realize true love. They’ll have to fail subjects to learn how to pick themselves up again. They’ll have to be a part of the loser crowd to know what it feels like. If they don’t learn these, they won’t know what it’s like. They’ll have no idea what their lives are heading to, and their definition of right and wrong would only depend on what their mothers say. Sadly, mothers won’t be there forever.

So it’s not really a question of being protective to be a good mother or a cool mother. It’s the question of being the guide you’re supposed to be. How is your child going to survive alone if you won’t let them learn? How will they know how to cross the road themselves if you keep holding their hands?

No one is saying being protective is going to kill. But being too overprotective is going to ruin your child and how they view this world. It’s a dangerous world out there and no one knows that more than a mother. But as a mother, it is also your job to prepare your child for it, and there is no way better to do that then to let your children make their own mistakes and learn from it – of course, with you by their sides.

It’s not wrong to be overprotective. Just don’t keep sniffing around your child’s room or wandering around wherever they hang. Trust them. Because if you do, they’ll also trust you.