Undoubtedly, parenting is a not an easy task. It involves many challenges and is an ever changing process. As your kid grows from a newborn to teen and adult, your parenting style should also change. Sometimes even you may have to take some sharp turns in your parenting style according to the positive and negative change in society. What you should always remember is that your parenting style highly influences your child’s attitude towards his or her life. Here we are evaluating one of the many parenting styles: That of helicopter parenting.

Helicopter Parenting

 

Helicopter parenting is when parents will have an amazingly close inclusion in their kids’ lives. Some say helicopter parenting is awful and some like this style of parenting. Is it really a good approach for your kids? Should you adopt this style? To evaluate the answer to these questions, let’s take a closer look at some of the crucial facts about helicopter parenting. 

Helicopter Parenting: 5 Negative Effects

  1. Less Independent: One of the biggest disadvantages of become a helicopter parents is that it can make your kids less independent. They can never make their own decisions. They always need their parent’s approval to complete or even start a new project. Maybe for some parents it’s a good thing, but if we notice this in the long term, it harms your kid’s future. How? It can make your children incapable of taking any decision.
  2. Lack of Problem Solving Skills: There is no denying the fact that every parent wants to be there for their child. Parents expect their kids can face every problem in their life without losing strength and hope. In the case of helicopter parents however, a kid can easily loose his problem solving skills. He or she can never take a stand for himself or herself. So, there are various agencies providing home tuition and problem solving services that help to improve the academic performance and extend your knowledge of kids.
  3. Lack of Self Confidence: With helicopter parenting, your kids will always be dependant on you and can’t take a stand for themselves. It can also fill them with negative energy. Negative energy comes from not having enough confidence that they can fulfill their dreams or ambitions. They will always follow their parents dreams rather than their own. This is because they don’t have enough confidence in their own thoughts and dreams.
  4. Grow with a Sense of Entitlement: Another one of the worse effects of becoming helicopter parents is that your children will grow with a sense of entitlement. Entitlement is a growing trend in today’s children. Do you think it is any coincidence that there has been an increase in helicopter parenting to go along with that?
  5. May Turn Your Kids Rebel: Last but not least, the most harmful effect you can get with helicopter parenting is your children turning against you. They may rebel at some points, particularly if they observe their friends in a more freeing and open environment with few restrictions and more ability to claim their independence. 

All of these factors explain why helicopter parenting is a bad idea and why one should not become a helicopter parent. Sometime we as parents make excuses for ourselves, citing concern or care for kids but in actuality we are playing with their future. Soooooooo, are you a helicopter parent? Are you confused? Here is a list of symptoms that indicate YOU could be a helicopter parent:

  • Germaphobia is the anomalous dread of dirt or sullying. You enable your child to fear playing outside or touching anything for fear that they may contact germs or microbes.
  • Do you go overboard trying to get your child into a specific program or school? Do you pull strings and go through your contact list instead of letting your child’s grades, abilities, and attitude earn it on their own?
  • Do you immediately take your child’s side in all scenarios? Do you believe they do no wrong and find yourself blaming others around the instead of holding them accountable?
  • Do you give into your infant at the first sound of a cry because you don’t want to cause strife?

Although this is just a small sampling, these are examples of ways that YOU may be a helicopter parent.

Instead of helicopter parenting, why not try Presence in Parenting! This is something that has been mindfully thought of here at our house. It isn’t easy with a remote work schedule, but being present in their lives is so valuable.

Viki is a passionate blogger. He is currently working as a marketing manager for the home tuition agency in Singapore i.e SmileTutor. SmileTutor provides top-notch tuition job opportunities for part-time and full-time private tutors.

Photo Credit: Mojitos and Munchkins, Pixabay