Parents want nothing more than the best life for their children. In wanting the best, however, some adults think that they have to be extremely involved in their kids' lives.
These parents steer their children's path. They direct and manage everything that has to do with their kids. They do this believing that the children will be able to achieve and maintain a level of success, thanks to their invaluable help.
Experts call this helicopter parenting. Healthy Living Magazine cites a few incidence to describe this type of over-parenting such as deciding the kids' play time or who the kids play with or controlling the kids' school and extra-curricular.
Helicopter parents rob their kids of the ability to think for themselves or find solutions to what is challenging them. Experts say that this over-indulgence doesn't prepare children for the adult life.
But this child-rearing method has given birth to drone parenting, especially among younger parents with technology and social media coming into play. According to Colleen Sall of Chicago Now, this is when parents monitor everything that their kids should and should not do. She wrote that it's a whole new level of accelerated helicopter parenting.
Huffington Post cites the difference between helicopter parenting vs. drone parenting in that the latter is less about control and more about responding to what parents "think" their children need. If the helicopter parent might be overbearing for the kids, the drone parent is the opposite.
She doesn't make her presence felt, which gives the child a sense of freedom and independence. But make no mistake, the drone parent works quietly behind the background as they constantly monitor her kids. She's the mom who secretly calls the teacher and makes demands when her child is having problems with a project.
The characteristics of helicopter parenting vs. drone parenting might be different but they have the same agenda. It's to ensure that their children get the best opportunities while enjoying their lives in the safety of their comfort zones.
The fallout is also the same as both helicopter and drone parenting isn't really about the children but the parents. These methods address a parent's own goals and fears as opposed to healthy parenting that gives room for children to make mistakes and fail, and especially learn from these.
Are you a helicopter parent or a drone parent? Or are you more open to letting the children take their own path, choose their own solutions and deal with the consequences of these choices? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
