What if the best thing you can do for your child is… less? Child psychology professor Jo Sun-mi argues that a healthy dose of parental indifference — not over-involvement — is what raises capable, independent kids.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The real difference between authoritative and authoritarian parents (and why one works)

• Why trendy child-centered parenting can quietly backfire

• How self-sacrificing mothers often end up raising kids who struggle more

• The anxious attachment paradox — why constant availability can create clingier kids

• What "strategic indifference" looks like in everyday moments

This episode is for you if you're a parent who feels like you're doing everything and it's still not enough. If you've been quietly burning out trying to be constantly engaged, constantly enriching, constantly on — this conversation is going to feel like exhaling. It's not permission to check out. It's an invitation to trust that your child is more capable than the culture keeps telling you they are.

K-Parenting bridges Korean parenting science to Western parents. Korea has a thriving ecosystem of science-backed content — experts, research, cultural wisdom — virtually unknown in English. Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

**Chapter markers:**

0:00 Intro

1:11 Your Role Shapes Their Entire Life

3:09 Authoritative vs Authoritarian

5:05 When Child-Centered Parenting Backfires

7:34 Why Self-Sacrificing Moms Often Raise Struggling Kids

10:15 The Anxious Attachment Paradox

13:20 Final thoughts