“About eight years ago, when my daughter – the eldest of my three children – was almost 8 and had gotten involved in competitive gymnastics, I realized that a madness had become part of my community and was becoming part of my family’s life,” said Rosenfeld, a Connecticut-based psychiatrist and author of five books including “The Over-Scheduled Child” and “Hyper-Parenting.”

“Nicole Wise (long-time family issues journalist and co-author) and I later termed it ‘hyper-parenting.’ ”

Rosenfeld, an advocate for raising children in a less stressful environment, will speak as part of Western Kentucky University’s 2003 Mary E. Hensley Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Monday at Van Meter Auditorium. Admission is free.

Sam Evans, interim dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, said the committee that plans the lecture series chose Rosenfeld because people may be familiar with him. He has appeared on various TV shows, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Larry King Live,” “CBS Sunday Morning” and “Good Morning America” as well as National Public Radio’s “Real Audio.” He also sponsors a national initiative for a monthly family night.

“We try to have a lecture each year with someone the public might recognize,” he said. “They also must be able to connect with teachers in our education program and teachers working out in the field and connect with a larger audience.”

Rosenfeld said “hyper-parenting” is a mindset about what good child-rearing was and what parents had to do to raise successful children.

“There was no limit to the amount of enrichment a child could benefit from, and parents who did not provide every last iota of it were ‘bad’ parents whose kids would grow up to be failures,” he said. “Parenting had become an anxious, competitive sport. Childhood was no longer a preparation – it had become a professionalized performance.”

Rosenfeld saw the effects of “hyper-parenting” on children regularly.

“As a child psychiatrist, I was seeing the harm this mentality was causing, and realized as a parent how hard it was for a sincere, well-intentioned parent to resist, myself included,” he said. “So I decided to try to highlight the problem and to start thinking about ways to reverse it, including founding National Family Night.”

Rosenfeld plans to talk Monday night about “hyper-parenting” and how to regain balance for the entire family.

“I will point out how we have focused so much time on activities and accomplishments that we have forgotten – and ought to get back to considering – developing values and character,” he said.

Participants will also get some tips called “12 Ways to Avoid the Hyper-Parenting Trap” at the lecture, Rosenfeld said.

“(The handout) hopefully will help parents get their family lives back to a sensible balance between enriching activities, relaxation and a good family life,” he said.