I've been thinking a lot these days about the (relatively) new term "helicopter parent". Wikipedia defines it as:
"[...]a parent who pays extremely close attention to his or her child's or children's experiences and problems [...] They are so named because, like helicopters, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach, whether their children need them or not."
I've certainly seen my share of "helicopter parenting". Heck, I've even done my share of it! And I really think it plays a huge part in the stress and anxiety that produces moms who need peeling off the ceiling. When we make our children our projects, and try to spare them every bit of pain and difficulty we can, what are we doing to ourselves (let alone what are we doing to them?)
Regardless of whether or not this hovering to "protect" our children is a useful stance to take (and I would argue that it is not), the question remains "Is it even possible to protect our children from every bump, bruise, and difficulty in life?" Of course not. And so we have yet another way for modern mothers to feel that they are failing at their responsibilities.
Of course I am not advocating letting our little darlings run amok 24/7. But what if we allowed them some unstructured time every day? Does anyone reading this remember exploring outdoors with their friends as a child,or hanging out with nothing to do, and then coming up with creative play solutions? It didn't used to be a mother's job to entertain her children or structure and supervise their play, and it shouldn't be now. School? I would also argue that while parental involvement is great, nay, crucial to a child's success in school, when a parent is doing their child's assignment for them a line has been crossed. And it's a line that isn't benefiting anyone. "But he'll get a failing grade!" I hear some of you protesting. Yes, and he'll get a valuable lesson on consequences and responsibility (and you'll get a break!) We're doing, I think, a much bigger favor for all parties involved when we give our children room to fail.
