parent harshly; overprotected, you’ll protect too much; abused, you might abuse; overindulged, you’ll probably indulge. Other parents, overly cognizant of their parents’ mistakes, may end up on the other end of the spectrum: if you were overprotected or overcontrolled as a child, you might become a laissez-faire, anything-goes parent; if you grew up in chaos, you might become overly restrictive.