Disadvantages of Helicopter Parenting

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Helicopter Parenting

How does a person grow up to be who they are? Most people say it is determined by the way their parents raise them. The parents that hover close and the parents that give their children space will have children with complete opposite characteristics. Parents that hover close are referred to as “Helicopter Parents,” and children that are given a lot of space are called “Free- Range Kids” (Rutherford). Although these styles of parenting are vastly different, both kinds of parents are trying to do what is best for their child. Of the two parenting types, helicopter parenting is looked at as a worse method for parenting. There are more negative aspects of it then there are positive. Not only do helicopter parents impact their child, but also any teacher, professor, or future employer of the child. The signs of being a helicopter parent are very noticeable, the mental growth and self-esteem of the child is challenged, and the child’s future is compromised.

Helicopter parents are not hard to spot. Their characteristics stand out amongst the other parents. They are in constant contact with their child, over involved in their child’s decisions concerning school, and feel responsible for their child’s failures (How Not to Be a Helicopter Parent). When a parent is in constant contact with their child through cell phones and other electronic devices it plays the role of a “virtual umbilical cord” (“Helicopter Parents” Stir Up Anxiety, Depression). Helicopter parents feel that they should be “immediately accessible and responsive at all times” (Rutherford). Free- range kids are given the privilege of building their independence with less supervision and more freedom to experience and learn on their own (R...

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... put their child’s future in jeopardy.

Works Cited

Donatone, Brooke. "Helicopter Parenting Comes Home to Roost." Winnipeg Free Press (MB) 8 Dec. 2013, Sunday sec.: A2. Print.

"How Not to Be a Helicopter Parent." GreatSchools. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2014. .

"IU News Room." "Helicopter Parents" Stir up Anxiety, Depression: : Indiana University. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .

Lantz, Susan Jennings. "Geting on Board with Helicopter Parents." Dec. 2013: 34-36. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.

Rutherford, Markella B. "The Social Value of Self-Esteem." Society 48.5 (2011): 407-12. Print.

Wallace, Kelly. "Bring Your Parents to Work Day: Positive Trend or Helicopter Parenting?" CNN Wire 7 Nov. 2013: n. pag. Print.

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