mollycoddling
Overprotective nurturing behavior
Mollycoddling is treating someone with excessive care or protection, shielding them from hardship or challenge.
The word carries disapproval—it suggests the coddling weakens rather than helps: Stop mollycoddling the boy and let him figure it out himself.
A mollycoddle is someone who has been pampered into softness.
Lavish attentive care
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
- cossetingOverprotective care
- helicopteringExcessive parental supervision
spoiling · indulging · overprotecting · sheltering · shielding · hovering · fussing · doting
pampering
Lavish attentive care
- babyingTreating as helpless
- smotheringDepriving of air
- cossetingOverprotective care
helicoptering · spoiling · indulging · overprotecting · sheltering · shielding · hovering · fussing · doting · swaddling
- overparentinghelicopter parenting, helicopter parent, overprotective, overprotection, overprotecting
- gentle caretenderness, kindness, compassion, nurturing, soothing
mollycoddlingtough love
Beneficial strictness from affection
neglecting · disciplining · hardening · toughening up · demanding
mollycoddlingbaptism by fire
Difficult first test
trial by fire · challenging · putting through the wringer · school of hard knocks
mollycoddlingtough love
Beneficial strictness from affection
hardening · disciplining · toughening up · severity · sternness
cuddle, cuddly, coddle, cuddles, coddled, coddling, mollycoddle, mollycoddled, coddler