"Helicopter" parenting

[sparks19]

Maybe part of my opinion comes from my experience with the young kids we work with at preschool. It is very obvious which children have involved parents and which ones don't and it's sad. We get kids whose parents just open the door upstairs and just send them downstairs on their own and we rarely see the parent and usually those are the kids who don't know the beginning of their ABC's or counting or even how to interact.

On the flip side, we do have those parents who hang around way too long and actually end up upsetting the child more than helping them but overall the child is bright and well rounded.

I think the issue we have here is we are being very black and white ... If you help your child you are a helicopter parent who is ruining their spoiled child and if you encourage "do it yourself" then you are neglecting your kids. Neither is true most likely and there is a lot of grey area... And what works depends on the parent but more so depends on the child you have. There is no one size fits all for child rearing and you may think you have the market cornered but faced with a child with different needs or personality... You may be up a creek lol

[Karen]

I think the issue we have here is we are being very black and white ... If you help your child you are a helicopter parent who is ruining their spoiled child and if you encourage "do it yourself" then you are neglecting your kids. Neither is true most likely and there is a lot of grey area... And what works depends on the parent but more so depends on the child you have. There is no one size fits all for child rearing and you may think you have the market cornered but faced with a child with different needs or personality... You may be up a creek lol

I absolutely think there are many levels of grey area! How much help is too much has likely been debated since the dawn of parenthood!

[Lady's Human]

I think the issue we have here is we are being very black and white ... If you help your child you are a helicopter parent who is ruining their spoiled child and if you encourage "do it yourself" then you are neglecting your kids. Neither is true most likely and there is a lot of grey area... And what works depends on the parent but more so depends on the child you have. There is no one size fits all for child rearing and you may think you have the market cornered but faced with a child with different needs or personality... You may be up a creek lol

Black and white? Huh???????

Funny, I've seen many shades of gray mentioned here.

[RICHARD]

Black and white? Huh???????

Funny, I've seen many shades of gray mentioned here.

At least '50'?

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I sat here laughing because I love all things 'aviation' and the thought of a helicopter parent makes my head hurt.

Just take a stool, set it up under a room fan and stick your head into the vanes.....same principle?

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Parents should be flight school/tanker parents.

Sit the kids down near a runway, do a little demonstration, then put them into a simulator.

Let them crash and burn a few times, then take them up for a little instruction (don't forget to teach them how and when to use a parachute......they may have to bail out?) let them solo and give them their wings.


Let the kids buzz about for a while then, if needed?




Give them a little fuel to make it a little farther on their trip.

No need to hover, just be there to give them a little help.

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About the parachute?

Some kids will need one - flying isn't a perfect science and giving the kid a chance to bail out is part of the 'life curriculum'. No need to shame them when they do have to bail out.

It's about giving them a choice.

My parents gave me my instruction, parachute and wings.

I have crash and burned, bailed out and flown higher than I ever thought I could.

It's not about black or white, It's about how blue the sky is and being able to go as high as I want.

And when I need to set it down..........