Helicopter Parents

Helicopter parents are those parents who adopt helicopter parenting style that is considered to be a harmful parenting style. Helicopter parenting style is highly overcast today which causes emotional, mental and corporeal challenges to a child’s growth. Such helicopter parents consider themselves the best parents as they are involved in their children to a great extent. They themselves decide what their children are to do and what not to do.

When as helicopter parent, you impose your decision on your child and you want to make it certain, you consider that it is good for you and will bring happiness for your child. But you don’t think what your child’s actual requirements are and how can these be fulfilled. We are going to discuss thoroughly about helicopter parenting style’s harmful effects and how you, as a parent, can do to raise a more independent and confident child.

Harmful effects of helicopter parenting style

Full control of helicopter parent over her child- child is just a follower

Helicopter parents, in this parenting style, are heavily prevalent where they want to control their child and for this purpose, they are, all the time, available for the child. Either it is homework or what the child is doing in anything, the parents are eagle eyed. It is a common observation that helicopter parents are not only involved but also decision makers.

Child’s decision power is snatched

These are the helicopter parents who consider that they have saved their children from anxiety of decision by deciding themselves or influencing the decision. Regarding this type of parents, you may know that their thinking could have been to really protect their child from this challenging world.

Being a parent you think that this is really a protective style of parenting because you have provided all kinds of things your child needs. You yourself set the goals and path for your child and you want her to go a certain way, you have chosen for her.

Your child is frustrated and feels less confident

In this helicopter parents’ method, you know that the parent essentially arranges the entire path for her child. Helicopter parent thinks that there is nothing much to do for the child except walking on the path she has set for her. But this style of parenting has been reviewed and it has been observed that the parents who have been following this helicopter parents’ method, have experienced a lot of frustration in the end.

 In this type of method, a child doesn’t get any confidence in doing anything. She is never given any chance to tackle her problem herself as her parent always tackles her problem and never gives her chance to face herself any calamity. As a result, child has to face a lot of hardships in practical life because she has never been taught how to handle such sort of difficulties herself.

You as a helicopter parent think that you have never left her alone and you have saved her from all sorts of mishaps and challenges. As a parent, you consider it your success but in fact it is not so as you have deprived your child of self -confidence as she relies on you for everything.

Helicopter parent destroys her child’s inner powers

 If you are a helicopter parent, all this gives you a certainty regarding your child’s protection but what happens to your child. Does she herself ever understand how to deal with uncertainty? In this way it happens that the self-confidence of your child is never established and she loses her power of decision making.

This thing destroys her inner power and she looks toward you in each and every situation, like, what to say, when to say, how to say or what to do, when to do and how to do.

This overprotective attitude of helicopter parenting ruins your child’s inner talent and she is unable to recognize her own worth.

This thing is against the law of nature which is to dive in the sea of knowledge in order to make discoveries and invent new things by using inner quality.

Ambiguity in the research-pros and cons of helicopter parenting

On the one hand, research shows that helicopter parents really feel themselves very comfortable and overjoyed but on the other hand if we look at their children who have been brought up under such parents and have their impact, parents are happy whereas their children are sad and frightened.

It is so because of every situation which occurs, the child finds her parents saving her. So, whenever there comes any uneasiness, she tries to look at her parents to get rid of it and never tries herself to remove it by using her own ability and skill.

If your child is not prepared to face the challenges in practical life, there is no use of your helicopter parenting style which has snatched your child’s capability and, has made your child dependent, not independent. In my point of view it is not happy situation for the helicopter parent but regretful.

Solution of helicopter parenting style- Give right to your child

Being a responsible parent, it is your duty to give right to your child to use her talent so that by doing so she herself may be able to tackle every difficult situation by using her inborn hidden qualities.

One point should be kept in mind that parent plays major role in shaping her child as child normally copies her parent in many ways. So present yourself as a role model for your child.

Adopt authoritative parenting style that will help you understand your child well and guide your child in smooth way to her success. By using suitable mechanism, you can awaken her dormant faculties that will open new avenues for your child.

She will be able to understand her inborn qualities which will help her dive in the ocean universe and she will start performing wonders in her practical life. Her name and fame which she brings, will give you true happiness and satisfaction as well.  

In a nutshell

Helicopter parenting style has its own pros and cons. The only benefit that seems of this parenting style is over protection which kills the potential of your child in one way or other. You as a parent are suggested to follow authoritative parenting style which gives boost, energy, confidence, courage and satisfaction which are key elements to success and happiness.