“It’s a bad day if I don’t talk to my mom at least 10 times – she’s my backbone,” says 20-year-old Katie, a junior in college in Gainesville, Florida (Khidekel). Unfortunately, this type of codependency is extremely common in young adults who have helicopter parents. Helicopter parenting, also known as over-parenting, is when parents constantly “hover” over their children by invading their privacy and not letting them solve their own problems. Helicopter parents are especially involved in their child’s school work, often times doing most of the work for their children and disputing grades with teachers, even as their children move on to college. Beginning to become more common in the ‘60s and ‘70s, helicopter parenting is a result of adults having fewer children, marrying and reproducing later in life, and both parents working long hours. New technology has also stimulated the growth in the number of helicopter parents by making it easier for parents to track their children and check to see who they have been talking to and what they have been doing. Today, over 90% of school counsellors and psychologists are seeing overly attached parents in their schools (Marriner). Although some children do not mind and in fact welcome and encourage their overly attached parents, helicopter parenting can lead to several major devastating consequences. While most helicopter parents believe they are doing what is best for their child, they actually tend to do more harm than good by causing damaging psychological effects on children, hindering their child’s mental growth, and even placing unnecessary stress on their own lives.
One of the major and most dangerous effects of a child having one or more helicopter parent are the psychological conseq...
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...y communication will improve. Another positive aspect of parents letting children make their own decisions is that children tend to be happier, self-sufficient, and much more confident than those that grow up with helicopter parents.
Works Cited
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"How Helicopter Parents Affect Their Children." Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.
Khidekel, Marina. "Are Your Parents Ruining Your Life?". Cosmo Girl, 15284824, Nov2008, Vol. 10, Issue 9.
Marriner, Cosima. "The So-called 'Helicopter' Parent Is Becoming Ubiquit." Bayside Bulletin, Mar 19, 2013.
Nelson, Margaret K. "Helicopter Parenting Style Leaves Little Time For Other Things." Guelph Mercury (ON), Jul 06, 2010.
"UANews." The Dangers of 'Overparenting' N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
In the article “Helicopter Parents Now Hover at the Office,” The Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger reveals that some parents have begun to involve themselves into their adult children’s job search. Shellenbarger explains that many parent have a hard time watching their child struggle since they have taken part in their daily lives for so long. She then describes that some children do not appreciate the hovering of their parents because the hovering prevents them from developing self independence.
Read, Katy. "Regrets of a stay-at-home mom." Real Families. Salon, 05 Jan 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
According to the article “Helicopter Parenting Delivers Benefits” by Don Aucoin, and “Bubble-Wrapping Our Children: The perils of Overprotective Parenting” by Michael Ungal”: because are the privilege a problem or ventage for children, which the risk and responsibilities for child education, also the real problem of the overprotection.
Julie Lythcott-Haims’ article from Slate.com, “Kids of Helicopter Parents Are Sputtering Out,” is a recent article published on July 5 2015. Lythcott-Haims discusses the issues of mental health involving college students. Specifically, she is discussing the possible correlation of strict parental guidance—Helicopter or hovering parents--possibly affecting student’s life skills once they are on their own.
Paul, Annie Murphy. “Tiger Moms: Is Tough Parenting Really the Answer?” Time Online. 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2011
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Hall, Carla. "Taking Parenting a Step at a Time Education" Los Angeles Times 19 Nov.1994: 1
Beyond genetics, parents have an extremely significant impact on the emotional, moral, and social development of their children. This is understandable, as many children interact solely with their parents until they reach school-age. Parents have the ability to determine a child’s temperament, their social abilities, how well-behaved or in control of their emotions they are, how mature and ambitious the child will be, and so forth. (Sharpe) Furthermore, parents have both ideals for their children as well as ideals for themselves, and how they raise their children is deeply influenced by this.
Children who are under the influence of parental guidance tend to have better behavior and can distinguish between right and wrong. “Children placed in situations lacking parental guidance are six times as likely than those with parental guidance to have a high level of overall difficulties including, emotional issues, conduct disorders, and peer problems” (McGuire 2014). Children do not have to worry about the weight of responsibility because their parents take on that responsibility for them. Kids brought up in normal, loving environments behave in a more civilized manner and exhibit better etiquette than those who are placed in negative, harsh environments such as...
The parent would want the child to make a decision based on what would be the best for them rather than just what the child would want to do. This encourages him to make an independent decision base...
"Helicopter Parenting Can Be a Good Thing." USA Today Magazine May 2010: 8-9. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
In this day and age, the media labels overbearing parents as helicopter parents, and the label itself has taken on a negative light due to the guilt by association. The ‘popular’ definition of helicopter parenting come from the ‘extreme’ cases (Jayson 5). The extreme cases in the news are just that, extreme cases; they do not depict helicopter parenting in general, and have been given the name Blackhawks (“Liftoff for ‘Helicopter’ Parents”). The idea of helicoptering has become a misguided ‘negative portrait’ by media using the term and ‘over parenting synonymously’, but the two terms should be used so. They are very different; over parenting is when a parent does not let the child think for themselves (Aucoin). Over parenting and helicopter parenting are not synonyms, but they are not quite antonyms. Helicoptering can become oppressive parents quite easily. Another side of over parenting is the side that ‘expects… immediate compliance’ to orders without giving reasoning. This style can cause below average ‘self-esteem… self-reliance and… social skills’ (McDevitt and Ormrod). The regular helicopter parenting is more common than what would be assumed as a study shows ‘60 to 70 percent’ of college parents have ‘some helicoptering behavior...
There are different types of moms around the world. There are the helicopter moms, non-caring moms, and the laid back chill moms. Each type of mom is different. The helicopter mom is the one who hovers over the kids the whole time. The non-caring moms is the one who doesn’t care or sometimes isn’t even involved in the kids’ life.
When does helping become hovering? The generation of “Helicopter Parents” is becoming more and more prevalent in families. A helicopter parent is a guardian who hangs over the head of their college-age son or daughter. Helicopter parents typically do whatever is necessary to lead their child to success. This controversy has many suggesting it is actually making a positive impact on the next generation, some think not.
Helicopter parenting is the term used to describe parents who are overly involved in their child’s lives/decisions, to the point it becomes a detriment for the child. Helicopter parenting can facilitate a child’s over dependence on the parenting system (van Ingen, 2015). Severe cases of helicopter parenting stunts a student’s ability to learn and grow independently. Helicopter parents indirectly communicate to their children, that they are unable to handle their own life. This can cause students to be fearful of making choices on their own, without first receive feedback from their parental figure. Helicopter parenting can also have far-reaching and lasting effects on a child’s psyche,