What is Helicopter Parenting?

What if your manager used to call you from time to time and wanted every little detail of your day? If you are already a victim of the situation or can imagine this, you understand how irritating it must be. Your child feels the same when you keep track of their every step. If you do this from a very tender age, they get habituated to this and stop being self-sufficient. Don’t you want them to stand their position in the world? Your constant assistance can never make them self-dependent. 

Sometimes, parents do this unknowingly, as most of them are unaware of helicopter parenting. They often think this micro-management will stop children from mingling with negative companies or provide them with more comfort. Parents need to acknowledge their activities and know the characteristics of helicopter parenting. So, identify the signs of helicopter parenting and understand the pros and cons of it. 

Characteristics of Helicopter Parents

Knowledge of helicopter parenting is inevitable for every parent, so they know how to stop being a helicopter parent. Some of the highlighting characteristics of helicopter parenting are:

• Limiting children’s abilities and boundaries 
• Too much worried about safety
• Try their hands on solving issues that children could easily do
• Building a sense of constant supervision and correction
• Making decisions on children’s behalf without asking for their input
• Keep an excessive connection with children’s teachers and coaches 
• Setting boundaries for conversations and not allowing any independence 
• Refuse to allow failure as part of the learning process

If you ask for the meaning of helicopter parents, these are the points in a nutshell. 

Pros And Cons of Helicopter Parenting

Helicopter parenting has pros and cons, just like every coin has two sides. You must know them to understand how to deal with helicopter parents. 

Pros of Helicopter Parenting

Happy Parents

While involved in helicopter parenting, parents feel happy because children are always under their observation. Though it affects the children’s mental health, it makes the parents comfortable. 

Updated

Parents are constantly updated on their children’s development and crisis. Though it often happens that children tend to hide things from their parents as much as possible when they grow up. But, parents go the extra mile to ensure their children’s activities. 

Learning Opportunity for Kids

Children can be aware of the consequences of some danger as their parents always warn them. Kids can learn from their parent’s mistakes. 

Reliable Personality

Children turn out to be reliable adults as they have always been under the strict observation of their parents. 

Less Possibility of Serious Trouble

As parents keep strict eyes on their children, kids are less likely to indulge in serious trouble till a certain age. 

Cons of Helicopter Parenting

Less Confident Children

The helicopter parenting style affects children’s confidence. They suffer from a lack of confidence as they do not have enough chances to face the world. 

Possibility of Medication for Children

No parents want their children to go under medication. But unfortunately, children who are constantly under the watchful eyes of their parents may have disturbed mental health. Thus, they need to come under medication after a certain age. 

Overreacting Children

What if someone constantly pokes you for a job? Won’t you feel too stressed? Your child is no different. They also feel overwhelmed by constant poking from their parents. 

Least Independent

Children’s independence gets disturbed when parents are constantly in charge of their activities. They do not get the autonomy to choose anything at all. 

Sneaky Kids

Helicopter parenting often results in sneaky kids who are likely to hide things from their parents. They cherish their sweet taste of freedom whenever they get the chance.

Helicopter Parenting vs Free Range Parenting

According to Sociology, helicopter parenting is a way to control and manipulate children instead of instilling a sense of freedom in their children. The negative impacts of helicopter parenting are long-lasting and damage a child’s mental and physical growth. As children are never of free will, they often fail to develop a personality. They do build their opinion and suffer later in life. 

If you want to know how not to be a helicopter parent, you must follow the principles of free-range parenting. Free-range parenting is known to be just the opposite of helicopter parenting. Under this parenting style, parents rely on their children’s choices. Children build a voice, and parents value their opinions. Though free-range parenting seems too good to be true, it has resulted in fantastic kids with entrepreneurial skills. They can speak for themselves and prioritise their decisions. 

Tiger Parenting vs Helicopter Parenting

Tiger parenting influences parents to make their children face all the difficulties from a tender age so they can deal with them in adulthood. Helicopter parents are too concerned about their children’s safety. On the opposite pole, tiger parenting demands children to go out of their comfort zone and face all the challenges at a tender age. Experts say that if helicopter parents are damaging their children, tiger parents are no exception. They are also imposing things that are beyond their child’s ability. Though this is a new inclusion in the parenting index, many people have been practising this since ages. 

Bringing up a mentally and physically healthy child is challenging. It will help if you keep an eye on your actions more than your child. If your parenting style is correct, you get a genius child. Any exception of this style can bring real damage at their tender age. So, watch your movements more than your child’s and give your little one a memorable, happy childhood. 

Also Read…

Tips for Happy Parenting

6 Secret and Successful Co-Parenting Tips

All You Need To Know About Parallel Parenting Plans

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