Study Says Kids Often Hold All The Power With Parents

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Who is in charge in your home – do you think it is your wife or husband?

As CBS2's Jessica Moore reported Wednesday, there is a good chance it is actually your kids who hold all the power.

Ask any parent, and most will tell you their schedules are not their own.

"I take her to sports, fundraising, volunteering – everything," said Upper East Side mom Katie Steinberg. "I'm like a driver every day."

"Your time is not your own when you become parents," said Upper West Side dad Salim Javed. "Definitely, your time goes on the backburner."

Researchers at the University of Maryland and Indiana University found that parents are spending more time catering to their children – filling their weekends driving them to lessons, practices and parties.

"The downside is sometimes dialogue can become negotiations; it could become power struggles; it could become what the report says is a power switch, which is not good for anyone," contributing writer Jennifer Wallace said on "CBS This Morning."

The study also found fewer kids in most families means less sibling rivalry and more competition among parents to cater to their children.

"I'm living on her schedule. I'm driving all the time," Steinberg said.

Moore asked Steinberg if there was a danger in having kids expect too much from their parents.

"Yes, but I think we create our own monsters," she said. "My older kids -- one is 30 one is 25 -- and still they expect it!"

"My 6-year-old was complaining the other day because he has to walk 4 blocks to our parking garage instead of being picked up in front of the building, and I was just thinking to myself – wait, something is really wrong here," added Javed.

Psychotherapist Jennifer Abcug said parents tend to want to live through their children. So what is a well-intentioned parent to do?

"Stop. Cut some things out. I mean, kids don't have to do everything," Abcug said. "You want to give them everything and also teach them how not to expect that the world revolves around them."