Are you a parent who is concerned about giving "too much" to your children? Are you interested in finding out how overindulgence affects families? Then the Parenting in the Age of Overindulgence online course is for you!
Parents and caregivers overindulge children from a "good heart." Overindulgence doesn't help children (or families) in the long run. Minimizing overindulgence can improve family well-being and stability.
New - Take and teach modules now available for professionals below.
About this course
This course is an exploration of overindulgence and how you can avoid it with your children.
In this course, you will:
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Learn what overindulgence is.
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Use tools to identify and address overindulgence.
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See real examples and hear ideas for addressing overindulgence in families.
This course is for:
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Parents who are unsure what overindulgence is.
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Families concerned they may be overindulging.
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Child care providers, teachers, caregivers, or other family members interacting with children.
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Professionals who work with parents and families.
Cost
This course is free and takes about one hour to complete.
After you finish the course, you will receive a certificate of completion. Printable PDFs of all tools are also available at the end of the course.
Take and teach modules
Professionals can access five free take and teach modules that coincide with this course to use with parents and caregivers!
About the course
University of Minnesota Extension educators partnered with Jean Illsley Clarke, and Lisa Krause to discuss issues related to overindulgence. (See the full author list below.) They wanted to provide families and professionals an overview on overindulgence and tools for avoiding it with children. The team decided that an online course would best meet the needs.
The development team wanted to course to:
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Increase parents’ self awareness on overindulgence.
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Promote self-efficacy to make changes to reduce overindulgence in their parenting.
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Provide an online source for overindulgence education for a digital generation of parents.
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Connect with parents experiencing a diverse range of situations (child age, socioeconomic status, gender, cultural background etc.).
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Address many learning styles and incorporate the adult learning theory throughout.
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Meet video best practices for short, fast-paced, solutions-based clips.
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Give participants tools to identify and address overindulgence in their lives.
This course is based on the research from the Overindulgence Research Project. The project is led by Jean Illsley Clarke, Ph.D., Connie Dawson, Ph.D., and David Bredehoft, Ph.D. This team has:
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Completed ten research studies on overindulgence. These studies have provided insight into childhood overindulgence and its effect on adults.
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Used the research to co-author the book, “How much is too much? Raising likable, responsible, respectful children — From toddlers to teens — In an age of overindulgence.” This book provides practical implications and potential applications based on the research.
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Developed the "How much is too much? Book and leaders’ guide for facilitating in-person classes."
Once the course was developed, the content and presentation was reviewed by professionals. A “Think aloud”-style user review was also completed. After the review, the course was finalized and made available to the public.
If you have questions about this course, please send an email to overindulgence@umn.edu.
If you have questions about this course, please send an email to overindulgence@umn.edu.
Related resources
5 Tips for Parents to Avoid the Damaging Effects of Overindulgence — In this article, Jean Illsley Clarke discusses the concept of overindulgence, offering five tips on how to recognize it and what to do about it.
Raising Likable, Responsible, Respectful Children in an Age of Overindulgence — David Bredehoft, Jean Illsley Clarke, and Connie Dawson — Provides more information on what overindulgence is, research completed on the topic, and resources for parents to use.
This following individuals created this course:
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Jean Illsley Clarke, author and researcher
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Lisa Krause, parent educator
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Kelly Kunkel, Extension educator in health and nutrition
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Rebecca Hagen Jokela, Extension educator in family resiliency
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Brianna Routh, Extension educator in family resiliency
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Ellie M. McCann, Extension educator in family resiliency