Helicopter parenting or overparenting has been one of the most talked about parenting styles due to its impact on child development. Many parenting experts believed that this controversial child-raising style often hinders the development of independence and resilience among children, resulting to an unprepared and overly protected adulthood.
Many might have been wondering what exactly helicopter parenting is.... Child and adolescent psychologist Samantha Carella has one simple definition. Carella said helicopter parenting is basic parenting skill but have gone on an extreme or excessive level, Parent Herald previously covers.
It is already a known fact that helicopter parenting comes with a series of unintentional and negative consequences when it comes to child development. According to Irish Times, overparenting could have some drastic influences on a child who's going to college.
Even though it's understandable that parents often find it hard to give up control and their involvement on their children's education, University College Dublin (UCD) student adviser Colleen Blaney Doyle stressed that parents should take a step back when their kids are already in college. Instead of being too intrusive, parents should play the role of a "consultant" who can offer some advice when it's asked.
Despite the fact that helicopter parents only aims to protect their children and create a safer and more secure environment for them, too much hovering can be suffocating and could have negative implications on their development. That's why, it's best for parents to allow their children to find their own place in life, explore things that interest them, allow them to fail and learn from their mistakes.
With grownup kids in college, being independent does not only mean letting them go but also being there whenever they need you. University of Limerick director of clinical psychology Dr. Patrick Ryan even emphasized the importance of family and parents in a child's college life, Irish Independent reports.
As for the effects of helicopter parenting in children's well-being, children may develop a huge level of anxiety while their sense of responsibility and personal freedom are hampered. Overparenting also creates incompetent or too dependent child.
In addition, helicopter parenting can also affect the child's mental health and school performance in the K-12 years. In severe cases of overparenting, children may also suffer from anxiety and depression, not to mention creating children who are emotionally inhibited and too dependent, Huffington Post clarifies.
Parents should always remember that life as a parent is suffused with unexpected transitions. Although parenting never stops when you have a grownup child, it really wouldn't hurt to allow children to be more independent and experience life without the intrusion of an overbearing parent.
Meanwhile, due to the prevalence of helicopter parenting, the Catholic High School for Boys in Arkansas has decided to ban helicopter parents from coming to school. According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch, school principal Steve Straessle has one strict rule that's written on a placard, telling parents to exit the building and not to drop off forgotten things like lunches and assignments as their children will learn to solve the problems in their absence.
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