Helicopter Parents

Definition and Description
Though widely used in both the education field and in the media, little academic research has examined the phenomenon known as “helicopter parents”. Although the actual origin of the phrase is unknown, in 1990 authors Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay defined "helicopter parents" in a section on "ineffective parenting styles" in their book Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility. From there, American college administrators began referring to the overwhelming amount of parental involvement they saw on their campuses as “helicopter parents”. With numerous definitions and interpretations, the term “helicopter parents” has been described as:

“Helicopter parents is used to describe those moms and dads who constantly hover over their child, ready to swoop in whenever there’s a perceived crisis.” – Bridget Booher, Duke University

“… helicopter parents who hover over their kids, micromanaging every aspect of their lives.” – Donna Krache, CNN

“… helicopter parents who hover over their children’s lives.”- Stephanie Armour, USA Today

Though popularized in American culture the issue is acknowledge worldwide. For example in Scandinavia it is known as curling parenthood and refers to “… parents who attempt to sweep all obstacles out of the paths of their children.”- (Wikipedia)

Similarily, “lawnmower parents” is a phrase used to refer to those “…who attempt to smooth out and mow down all obstacles, to the extent that they may even attempt to interfere at their children's workplaces, regarding salaries and promotions, after they have graduated from college and are supposedly living on their own.” (Wikipedia)

Most recently, the term “Black Hawk parents” emerged describing those parents who cross the line from overly protective and involved to unethical behavior such as writing their child’s essays or taking online placement tests for their child.

Educational Implications and Drawbacks
When dealing with “helicopter parents” one must remember that a parent, most likely, has their child’s best interest in mind when intervening in their education. Keeping this in mind, adjusting one’s attitude to form a cooperative relationship with such parents can increase communication. However, often these parents are the ones who take up the most of your time and energy and feelings of annoyance and resentment can emerge. Many believe “helicopter parents” impede education and list the following as the drawbacks to such intense parental involvement.


- Prevents children from developing their own decision-making skills
- Can result in strained relationships between school and parents
- Though parents may believe it brings them closer to their children, in many cases the children begin to resent the parental involvement and can even be embarrassed by the lack of independence.
- Teaches children a sense of entitlement instead of personal responsibility
- Children have difficulty dealing with authority (unable to distinguish what battle to fight and which ones to talk through and negotiate)

Kristen Schiers Taylor

Sources

- “How to Ground a “helicopter parent”. – Donna Krache (http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/13/helicopter.parents/index.html)
- “Helicopter’ parents hover when kids job hunt”- Stephanie Armour (http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2007-04-23-helicopter-parents-usat_N.htm
- “Helicopter Parents”- Bridget Booher (http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010207/parents1.html
- Helicopter Parents- Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_parent)