SMOTHERING MOTHERING: How to undermine the emotional maturity of your son
By: Aaron Welch, LMHC, NCC, CSOTS The biggest question I face as I write this article is, “how do I tactfully address such a sensitive, yet pertinent, topic?” There is no easy answer to this question and yet the ramifications of a controlling and overprotective style of parenting on the emotional growth of young men absolutely must be addressed. There are many reasons that mothers emotionally smother their sons: 1. Fear of their sons being hurt 2. Fear that their sons might encounter failure 3. Internal guilt in the mother 4. A strong desire to protect their sons from the world’s evil 5. Overcompensation for an absent or uninvolved father 6. A controlling personality, in general. Many of these reasons (and others that are unmentioned) are founded in good intentions and based on the love mothers have for their boys. 9 out of 10 mothers do not smother their sons because they have evil intentions or because they are abusive in nature. Most mothers are overprotective simply because…....