Overprotective Parents and the Young Adult in Kinnaman’s Text (Literature & Language Essay)

Overprotective Parents and the Young Adult in Kinnaman’s Text
Name
Institution
Introduction
According to David Kinnaman’s book, titled “You Lost Me,” the idea of overprotective parents and young adults appears in the second chapter with the title disconnections. Protectiveness comes from insecurities by parents who are predominantly obsessed with the safety of their children. Parents also tend to be meticulous since they associate their children’s inability to express themselves intricately with vulnerability. However, young people share the perspective that the church instills fear in them and separates them from the world that needs redemption. There exists a paradox in Christian teachings on evangelism to the secular world in which they are detached. The idea of overprotective parents and adults comes across as a critical problem among the young people in church since it implies that they are not being trusted. Moreover, these ideologies exist because the church believes that Christians should not associate themselves with the outside world. However, there could be some advantages related to the overprotection of young adults. Several theological articles written by professionals share different ideas on protectiveness.
Ideas from Professionals
Professionals in this field perceive overprotectiveness as inappropriate since it denies the youths the chance to develop self-dependence. However, some professionals have identified some benefits associated with overprotectiveness, but the negative impacts still outnumber the positive ones. Furthermore, most merits of overprotection are experienced with young children than maturing young adults. According to Mike Sciarra 2018, he suggests in his article that since Christianity calls for selflessness, overprotection prevents young adults from interacting with others (Sciarra, 2018). Therefore, overprotective parents make their children develop a self-centered character that is not Christ-like. Ratcliff (2020) distinguishes helicopter parents and overprotective parents to explain the effects of overprotection. The author uses the term helicopter parents to refer to how parents monitor their children intending to rescue them from Ratcliff (2020). Helicopter parents overly protect their children from impending danger by hovering around them. Furthermore, the author highlights the risks associated with overparenting and mentions its developmental effects in young adults.
Biblical perspectives on parents’ role towards the children suggest that parents should protect the children since they are a gift from God. According to Ephesians 6:4, Christians are advised to bring up their children in the ways of Christ without having to provoke them (Barker & Burdick, 1985). However, some parents are overly protective and sometimes possessive; therefore, they fail to prepare their children for the outside world. For instance, Christian parents tend to protect their children from the outside world since they fail to acknowledge the outside world as an essential part of their children’s growth. Parents fail to offer their children the independence and self-responsibility that they need during growth. This degree of overprotectiveness draws the young adults away from Christianity as soon as they realize that part of their freedom is impeded. According to Barna (2011), parents and church leaders are involved in developing young people’s faith ( Barna, 2011). However, the techniques used by most parents and church leaders are based on fear and risk. Christians have developed a fixation that demonizes every worldly thing. As young people interact with the world, they adapt to popular culture, which contradicts what the church preaches. Therefore, they perceive the parents and church leaders’ guidance as being overprotective and denying freedom.
Significance
According to David Kinnaman’s book titled “You Lost Me,” the author tries to address possible reasons why young Christians are quitting church and reconsidering their faith. This study’s significance is to inform the church and parents of the effects of overprotection towards realizing its impact on Christians' next generation. Furthermore, the study attempts to address the issues of disconnection between young adults and their parents. The study draws a connection between parental roles in young adults’ maturity and affiliation to a religion. Moreover, the study attempts to correct the perception of protection among both parties. Parents are responsible for taking care of their children, but they should be careful not to deny them freedom during maturity. At the same time, young adults should understand their parents and church leaders’ intentions to guide them and offer protection. Young adults are expected to develop a positive mind-set while receiving advice from parents and church leaders. Furthermore, young adults should engage themselves in conversations with their parents and church leaders to express themselves. Overprotectiveness is also attributed to a misunderstanding between parents and young adults.
Impact of Topic
Several social influences have been found to affect people’s religions, either directly or indirectly. Among all the social impact, parents are the most critical influence in the young adult’...