Overindulgence

Extension is expanding its online education and resources while in-person events and classes are canceled.

During this difficult time, we offer resources for parents at home with their children during COVID-19.

Watch this short video for parents on talking to your child about COVID-19.
Read Parenting during COVID-19: It's a marathon, not a sprint.
Read Parenting teens during COVID-19.

Understanding overindulgence

Overindulgence is giving your child too much of anything — money, space, time, energy, or attention — that can delay their development. Parents and caregivers overindulge children from a “good heart,” but it doesn't help children or families in the long run. Learn about overindulgence and learn some practical and easy parenting tools that you can use.

Overindulgence: The test of four

Learn about the Test of Four tool, which helps you and the children in your care learn what is enough.

Parenting with a Good Heart online course

Check out this new, free online course designed to give you parenting tools you can use right away.

Parenting in the Age of Overindulgence online course

Take this free online course to help you learn how to identify if something is "too much" and get strategies to avoid overindulgence. NEW — Professionals can access free take & teach modules that coincide with this course to use with parents and caregivers!

Good Heart Parenting: A Journey of Love and Strength

The 44-page research based book, Good Heart Parenting: A Journey of Love and Strength, chronicles the experience of two families who highlight the need for both parental love and parental strength in order to deal with the ubiquitous cultural messages to overindulge.

Developmental Parenting Highway online course

The Developmental Parenting Highway class is one of several in the Parenting in the Age of Overindulgence series. Overindulgence comes from a good heart, but it can lead to unwanted, less-than-good outcomes.

Developmental affirmations

A developmental affirmation is a positive message that you can give to another person, or yourself. The affirmation messages can give hope and direction by helping us care for others and ourselves. Developmental affirmations are especially helpful for people who are going through changes that lead to stress and uncertainty.

How are the development affirmations grouped?

The developmental affirmations are ovals because the oval is a symbol of constantly renewing life and of hope. The sequence of colors reflects the rainbow, reminding us that moving through the developmental stages is a natural process.

Stage 1 (peach) is “becoming” – prenatal
Stage 2 (red) is “being” – birth to 6 months
Stage 3 (orange) is “doing” – 6 to 18 months
Stage 4 (yellow) is “thinking” – 18 months to 3 years
Stage 5 (green) is “identity & power” – 3 to 6 years
Stage 6 (light blue) is “structure” – 6 to 12 years
Stage 7 (dark blue) is “identity, sexuality & separation” – 12 to 18 years
Stage 8 (purples) are “interdependence” – adult years
Stage 9 (white) is “integration” – end of life

Print out a copy of the developmental affirmations (pdf)

Print expanded content.

Using the developmental affirmations

You can use them in any way that works for you. You can offer them directly to give support to children and to yourself. Here are some ideas. Be creative!

Say them or sing them
Post them
Make games with them
Write down the one you choose each day
Keep your daily chosen one close by as a reminder

Families and youth

Parenting

You can help make programs like this possible

Do you want to help provide financial support to Parent Education programs and their development at the University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Family Development? This includes, but is not limited to, the creation of online, independent learning activities and books, and to contribute to the development of a template for designing online self-guided learning activities. Learn more about the Jean Illsley Clarke Fund for Online Parent Education or make a gift today!