What is Helicopter Parenting?

There is no doubt about it parenting is difficult. It is the hardest job many of us will ever have. Everything we do, every decision we make, every chosen battle will have an impact on the innocent lives we bring into this world. Times have changed dramatically since we were children, and often the methodology our own parents used is no longer deemed acceptable. Many of us have our own crosses to bear from the mistakes our parents made, and we do everything we can to be different for the sake of our children. Where our parents cut us loose to roam the neighborhoods, we don't let our children past the front yard. Our parents dropped us off at soccer practices and picked us up afterwards, we sit and watch every second from warm-ups to cool-downs. Our parents let us make mistakes and deal with the repercussions of our bad behavior.  We interfere to prevent anything wrong from ever happening. It is a different world, and it brings a new type of parent--the helicopter parent.

What is helicopter parenting? A helicopter parent is a fairly new term. It refers to a style of parenting where the mother or father is constantly hovering. The parent is never far out of reach of the child in every aspect of his or her life, but particularly when it comes to education. There are a variety of theories as to how the surge of helicopter parents began, and some research can tie the rise, with the increased use of cell phones. It means that parents and children never have to be out of touch for a single moment.

There are certainly good and bad aspects of being a so-called helicopter parent. In one respect, it keeps families close. A helicopter parent is familiar with almost every nuance of his or her child's life and can help to troubleshoot issues before they explode. It allows parents and children to keep open lines of communication in many aspects so that a lot of the self-esteem and self-confidence issues many of us experienced as children are not as severe. We have taken parenting to a whole new level by being considerably involved in our children’s lives.

On the flip side, helicopter parenting has seemingly created a generation of people who are not capable of problem solving. These children are growing up with very little responsibility for their own actions. They don't learn how to handle mistakes, and don't have any sort of social responsibility for themselves. It has created a society of children who always think somebody else will step in to solve their problems for them. The concern is that many of these children will never be able to stand on their own two feet to be a functioning and contributing member of society.

That being said, there is a fine line between nurturing your children and showing them unconditional love and hovering so closely they cannot learn to do things on their own. Online parenting classes are one way that you can learn how to properly be there for your children and let them know you will always support them, while giving them the space they need to grow and flourish on their own. By taking online parenting classes, you can gain the skills you need to help raise loving, competent, responsible children who are able to grow into mature and responsible adults.