As a parent, you always want to do what's best for your child and protect them from the harsh realities of the world. A mother or father's natural instinct is to be loving, nurturing, and attentive to the needs of their child. But how much caution is “excessive caution”? Sometimes parents go to extremes to make their child's life easier, paying too much attention to their child or being overly cooperative with their child's needs and desires.
Sometimes, compassion can slowly and unconsciously develop into an overbearing parenting style that can cause problems for both you and your child. helicopter parent This refers to the type where parents constantly monitor their child's every move and interaction. While continuously monitoring your child may seem like a good idea, research and doctors' advice shows that if done too much, it can actually hinder your child's development.
There is no denying that the intentions of helicopter parents come from a genuine place of wanting to provide help and support to their child. Being involved in children and their lives while not losing perspective on what they actually need is a difficult, fine line to walk. The key is to find that balance!
Effects of Helicopter Parents
Lack of confidence: Helicopter parents can be counterproductive! Parental micromanagement and overinvolvement can send the wrong message to children and make them believe that parents do not have the confidence to solve problems on their own. This leads to a lack of confidence.
Sense of entitlement: Children who grow up with parents who constantly coordinate their social, academic, and athletic lives are likely to develop a sense of entitlement because they are used to having their way.
Increased anxiety levels: Studies have shown that when parents tend to be overly involved in their children's lives, children develop higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Untapped life skills: Helicopter parents help their children (actually, mentally and physically complete their tasks) from tying their shoes to packing their lunches to arranging their books on time and putting away the dishes. We will do everything for you (have the ability to do so). In such scenarios, children struggle to perform these basic tasks on their own.
Undeveloped coping skills: When parents control a child's life to the extent that they clean up the mess on their behalf, the child has a harder time dealing with feelings of failure, loss, and disappointment. This can impair a child's ability to regulate their emotions and behavior.
Being a parent is difficult. We must look at children's emotions, strengths, and stressors, as well as the adults who are raising them. In practice, this includes helping your child overcome setbacks on his own or tolerating frustration. We also need to allow children to pursue endeavors that they are intellectually and physically suited to, rather than what parents think they should do.
Image source: NBC News
