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Do the benefits of helicopter parenting outweigh the drawbacks
Academic essay on the effects of helicopter parenting
Academic essay on the effects of helicopter parenting
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Helicopter Parenting
A child's independence, a quality which can determine their success, falls into the hands of their parents. Over-parenting, also known as too much parental involvement is a controversial topic. Many people ask the question of whether or not it can hinder a child's independence. However, it can be argued that it does not. Children with actively involved parents benefit greatly from higher life satisfaction, emotional stability, and protection from the dangers of society.
Parents tend to involve themselves first in order to protect their children from the hazards of society. "Terrorists the environment,” stated a Bathesda mother, “But I can control how my daughter spends her day." The mother is protesting that as long as she is involved with her daughter it is possible for her to protect her daughter from the many dangers in the environment. In no way, is she hindering how her daughter can handle herself or her daughter's independence by being overly involved. Instead she is simply involved to
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protect her daughter. There are other times when a child may need some emotional help regarding their life and other problems.
A child could be in distress from an argument or maybe a problem in school and that is when parents involve themselves and help. Others may argue that helicopter parents (overly-involved parents) hinder their child's independence, since they intrude into the child's duties and life. "Many young adults entering college have the academic skills they need to succeed but are lacking in life skills (...)" said Linda Walter, an administrator at Seton Hall University. However, as stated in "The Myth of the Helicopter Parent," "Parents provided the most support in the areas that included listening, emotional help, and advice; and less in the areas of practical, financial, and socializing." This shows that overly involved parents are not taking care of their children's duties but are instead supporting them, so they are not hindering their
independence. Lastly, children who had overly involved parents actually benefited from more so than those who did not. "The Myth of the Helicopter Parent" claims, "Helicoptered children actually had higher life satisfaction and more clearly defined goals." This claim was based off of a survey in which parents and children would complete an interview, where they would answer questions about the extent that parents provide support. As shown by this evidence, children who had overly involved parents actually benefited their children in providing support and did not hinder their individual abilities. Instead, these overly involved parents are helping their children succeed by handing down these properties and traits. In conclusion, children gain many necessary qualities from having overly involved parents and in no way is their independence hindered. As such, they receive many benefits like protection from society, higher life satisfaction, and emotional stability. Children can benefit more so from over involved parents than they would without and, so, parents need to rise and support their children!
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.
To leans our children in your environment where they grow up every day is a better decision. One things most difficult for parents is to give independence for own children because we not understand that their need that. In contrast teenagers have to lean their hand that overprotection is one dad decision for Example puttie caballero, even though knight’s twin daughter, symphony and kymberlee age 19 and attending college, knight remain deeply involved in their day to day live. She goes shopping with them. She gives them advice about their relationships.” (Don Aucoin 1). I think help our children is very good but we need to lead what their can do while they grow up also that can became in excessive at
The role of nurturing parents in a family is an important factor that helps in the growing of personal independence and is the basis for emotional stability.
While her argument is strong in bringing valuable date of college students into place, there is no specific statistic on how many parents hover over their children; in fact, there might not be any way to measure how many parents are “helicopter parents.” There is a spectrum in Sociology that ranges from being permissive, authoritative, or authoritarian. A permissive parent is defined as being “nondemanding and noncontrolling” (University of New Hampshire). An authoritative is defined as being both “demanding and controlling, but they are also warm and receptive to their children’s needs.” while an authoritarian is considered to be “demanding and highly controlling, but detached and unreceptive to their children’s needs” (UNH). From Lythcott-Haims’ discussion about the girl having her father control her life including her major in economics, her father would probably be described as an authoritarian parent with him not letting her make her decisions. Even though this spectrum may bring a better idea on what kinds of parents are, it still doesn’t show numbers on how many parents fall into each category and that may because of how difficult it would be to fall into one parent style when it’s possible to fall in the middle of certain categories. Because of this, the number of helicopter parents might not be
According to Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders Helicopter parents refers to "a style of parents who are over focused on their children". She also added "They typically take too much responsibility for their children's experiences and, specifically, their successes or failures"(n.d). Helicopter parents is all about ‘hovering’ over their children in an effort to become involved in their life that involves over controlling and overprotecting. This is a control in order to protect their children from harm and disappointment in today’s society. These parents also find it hard to let go, won’t allow children to make their own mistakes in life and also placed their own identity
When Amy Chua, a professor at Yale, wrote her personal memoir in 2011 called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, controversy arose regarding the topic of an extreme parenting type called a “Tiger Mom” (Tiger Mom). When The Wall Street Journal posted an excerpt from Chua’s book on their website, it received over 7,000 comments both positive and negative including death threats (Extreme Parenting). In her book, Chua describes is forcing her 7-year old daughter to stay up all night without bathroom or drink breaks until she was able to play a certain piano piece (Extreme Parenting). Her daughter rebels, drops violin, and takes up tennis (Luscombe). Extreme parents exert great pressure on their child to meet expectations, and if they are not met, the child may be punished (Hatter). The MacMillan Dictionary defines a tiger mom as “a very strict mother who makes her children work particularly hard and restricts their free time so they continually achieve the highest grades,” (Tiger Mother).
Experiential family therapy is one that believes the root cause of the problems in the families is a result of emotional suppression. This theory is focused on freedom experiencing emotions in the here-and-now. Experiential family therapists believe clients should seek self-fulfillment and focus on individual’s roles in the family rather than on the family as a whole. In order to promote growth, the individual and family must both grow. Once families are emotionally healthy, healthy attachments can then be made. I am drawn to this approach because of its focus on the individual. I believe that if individuals are healthy, family roles will become clearer and the system as a whole will become healthier. It is similar to when a spoiled piece of fruit makes it into a fruit salad, the entire salad is then ruined; however, if the entire salad is healthy, everyone will enjoy it. (Nichols, 2014, p. 130-132)
A parent’s parenting styles are as diverse as the world we live in today. Nowadays, parents only want what is best for their children and their parenting styles plays a crucial role in the development of children which will in the long run, not only effect the child’s childhood years, but later prolong into their adult life as well.
There are many approaches to parenting and everyone has their own preferences as to what they think is best. In a fast paced rush around society, it is hard to know what the best choices are for your children. There is a struggle to balance what needs to be done with what can be done, and this has negative and positive feedback on the children. Parents play a critical role in shaping and guiding their children into functional confident adults. An effective parent will learn as they teach in order to grow into understanding with their children.
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...
Successful parenting may be judged by many different standards. Raising a child to be a respectful, mature, and independent adult requires a great deal of effort. There are several parenting styles, and not all lead a child to reaching their full potential. Overpowering sternness leads may lead to a rebellious child, while passive parenting may lead children to inept for the challenges of adulthood. Parenting requires more than teaching children submissiveness, or building of self-importance. Children learn best from a role model who is admirable. Parenting is a great opportunity to set the course of one’s entire life in the right direction.
Most parents take an interest in their child’s life from birth until they become an adult by picking and choosing what is best for them as much as they possibly can. Parents want to help their children to be as perfect as they can make them. Typically hovering parents spend a lot of money, time, and effort filling schedules with things like dance classes, baseball, and tutoring in order to have a ‘perfect’ child. As well as coming to their aid when they are in need, or their defense when they are in trouble. Help in making important, life changing decisions, like where to go to college, or which career to pursue.
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,
Children are the future of the world and need to be nurtured and educated in the best conditions. Thus, parenting is one of the most challenging and admirable responsibilities that people can experience. Parenting plays important roles in the development of children’s characteristics. Some people nurture children depending on their own ways. Others get advice from friends or books. Parenting can be divided into three groups: authoritative, permissive, and democratic parenting.
parents to get involved in their child’s education. Nothing affects the academic outcome for a child as much as the involvement of a parent (Bourquin). Mom and Dad are the most influential position to shape their child’s future. Parents have a greater opportunity to make a difference, teach, model and guide their children’s learning more than anyone else (Bourquin). Involvement allows parents to communicate with teachers about their child’s learning style and characteristics.