This Jekyll and Hyde syndrome is the result of the constant push and pull between the child s awareness of her dependence on her parents and her early bids for independence. By the time she is one, your baby realizes that parents are not mere slaves who pander to her every whim. They are her safety net, the people who watch out for her and protect her from the unknown in the big bad world. Parents have to walk a tightrope at this stage. They have to maintain a delicate balance between making sure that the child feels secure and putting her feet on the road to independence.
Parents tread a fine line between being overprotective and unduly harsh.
There is no tried and tested formula that can guide parents in this respect. It differs from parent to parent and child to child. As children grow older, the battle between dependence and independence continues. While a child explores the world more actively by her second birthday, she is also more aware of her dependence on her parents. Take a situation when the mother is forced to go out of town on some urgent work or has to be hospitalized for a few days and puts her child in the care of a relative or other person.