Here You Can Participate In Surveys Read About Current Research

This page last revised June 9, 2004.

The Overindulgence and Parenting Styles Study
We are inviting parents of children to participate in a study investigating the relationship between "Overindulgence and Parenting Styles".
As a subject in this study:

• you will be asked questions about you and your parenting. It will cause you to reflect on individual and family dynamics.
• you will be asked questions about your children and your beliefs about parenting.
• you will answer a questionnaire taking approximately 30 minutes.
• all information you submit to the researchers will be kept confidential.
• individual data will never be used. It cannot be physically connected to a specific subject's name, email address, or any other identifying mark.
• individual information will not be shared with any individual or outside group.
• you are free to withdraw from participation in this study at anytime without negative results.

Read Results of 3 Years of Overindulgence Studies: Click on the cover to order the 2004 published book compiling the results of three years of research:

REVIEW:
How Much Is Enough?: Everything You Need to Know to Steer Clear of Overindulgence and Raise Likeable, Responsible and Respectful Children.
This is a question all parents ponder at some time or another. “Am I spoiling my child?” Jean Illsley Clarke, Ph.D., well-known parent educator, has just published her new book, appropriately titled, How Much is Enough? Jean and her co-authors, Connie Dawson, Ph.D., and David Bredehoft, Ph.D., discuss the different types of overindulgence and the pain of adults who were overindulged as children.

"Overindulgence" is not just giving too many toys to children. “Soft structure” overindulgence involves not setting limits for children. "Over-nurturing" is when we do too much for our children instead of expecting them to perform the same tasks, i.e. tying shoes or putting on coats.

The authors use a simple "Test of Four" to determine overindulgence.

1. "Does the situation hinder the child from learning the tasks that support his or her development and learning at this age?"
2. "Does the situation give a disproportionate amount of family resources to one or more of the children?” This can include money, space, time, energy, attention and psychic input."
3. "Does the situation exist to benefit the adult more than the child?"
4. "Does the child’s behavior potentially harm others, society, or the planet in some way?"

This book is a wealth of parenting advice covering the years from toddlers to teens. It is easy to read and does belong in every parent’s library. It’s available at Amazon.com. You can read these researchers overindulgence series of articles on this site and on their own site at www.overindulgence.info.

• Overindulgence Survey: Completed on April 2, 2001
  Researchers: Drs. David Bredehoft, Jean Illsley Clarke, and Connie Dawson provide us with the results of their three overindulgence research studies conducted in 1998, 2000, and 2001.

• (Results of future research surveys to appear here.)

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