We American parents have taken a great deal of flak.  First we were branded as “helicopters,” then we were made to feel inferior to the Chinese and now, the French, with their better parenting models. We have been accused of disabling our offspring with our over-involved, ultimately self-absorbed parenting styles. Worse, our kids have been labeled as “immature” and unable to face adulthood on their own.  All in all not a great picture. Fortunately, confounding this flood of impressionistic evidence in the popular press, is research by Karen Fingerman, a professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas, who shows that while most of us feel incredibly fortunate to have our children, in truth, they are lucky to have us. Continue reading →