MindBodyGreen: Why It's Important To Set Healthy Boundaries With Your Kids

Today, many households have "mini-democracies" where a child's voice or opinion is equal to those of his/her parents. In some families, the child's voice even takes over. And in other families, certain parents will even fully sacrifice his or her own needs to make their child happy.

Culturally, the pendulum has swung from focusing on children's behavior (in previous generations) to focusing on children's emotions (today). With this, however, there has been an exponential rise in anxiety disorders in children and teens. Although it's extremely important for children's emotions to be heard and validated, a parent still needs to be in charge to create a secure and stable environment for their kids. In particular, parents are responsible for setting boundaries in the household, in order to foster an environment where their children can be heard, but also encouraged to develop patience, self-awareness, and so on.