Did You Know About Helicopter Parenting?

Did You Know About Helicopter Parenting?

16 Apr 2020 | 4 min Read

Komal

Author | 138 Articles

All of us want to be good parents and for our children to be safe, happy and healthy. It’s also normal to want our kids to avoid some of the struggles that we ourselves endured. But what happens if we cross the line from being an involved and supportive parent to worrying excessively, and being overly controlling and protective which is called helicopter parenting.

What is Helicopter Parenting

It’s used to describe parents who are extreme in their focus, always hovering around their children and worrying about their safety, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing. Its also known as neurotic parenting or over-parenting.

Helicopter parents tend to be hands-on and overprotective, often trying to shield their children from the trials of life, rather than encouraging independence. Helicopter parenting traits often include:

  • Catching your 18-month-old every time he stumbles, to prevent him from getting hurt.
  • Getting involved in your 4-year-old’s friendship squabbles, to avoid a fall out.
  • Selecting your 6-year-old’s interests and activities.
  • Stopping your 10-year-old from stretching their tree-climbing skills.
  • Completing your 11-year-old’s homework when they won’t do it themselves.

The list is endless. Ultimately, none of us want our children to hurt themselves, become ill, feel left out or struggle at school. But what happens when we step in too soon and try to solve their problems for them, in an attempt to make them happy, or avoid feelings of pain, frustration, boredom or disappointment?

Why have we become neurotic parents?
Parents usually love their children intensely and have their best interests at heart. No one sets out to over-parent, but it’s becoming increasingly common. There are likely to be a number of reasons for this:

  • Fear – of injury, harm or kidnapping.
  • Concern that your child may not be socially or academically successful in life.
  • Worry that by not meeting each and every one of their needs, they will be psychologically damaged in the future.
  • Excessively high self-expectations of what it means to be a good parent.
  • Pressures from social media or worries about what other parents expect from us.
  • Long working hours away from home, which lead to feelings of guilt and a desire to make amends.
  • Attempts to redress our own parents’ shortcomings and give our children what we didn’t receive ourselves.

And there are more reasons still: many people are now choosing to have children later in life, perhaps even giving up an established career to have them. If you’re used to success in other areas of life, this same determination may then be applied to the role of being a parent.

How to relax your parenting style

Pay attention to your parenting behaviours

pay attention to how you interact with your child throughout the day. Make a note of anything you’re doing for them that they could be doing for themselves. Making a list will help you to get rid of that.

Encourage independence

Encourage your child to do more for themselves and to step outside their comfort zone. Rather than giving the message, ‘Others will do the work for me,’ this teaches, ‘I can do this by myself’.

Practise letting go

Let your children play together, without adult supervision or control. They will learn firsthand how to negotiate, cooperate and empathise – and will soon discover what happens if they don’t.

You can’t always protect your children from the disappointments and challenges of life. As much as you might be able to attempt this when they’re young, it’s an impossible task as they grow older. What’s more, being overly protective when they’re young robs them of the opportunities to learn how to cope by themselves when you’re not there.

What you can do is be there for them when they need you, and show them love, support, strength and encouragement. They will learn they can make it on their own and, when they no longer need you around, you’ll also know they can make it on their own, too.

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Source: netdoctor

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