"It means being involved in a child's life in a way that is overcontrolling, overprotecting, and over perfecting, in a way that is in excess of responsible parenting," Dr. Dunnewold explains.
Common Causes of Helicopter Parenting
While all parents experience anxiety about their children, helicopter parents tend to be highly anxious, even when their children are in safe environments. These parents have a strong desire to protect their children from harm, failure, and negative emotions like disappointment.
The four main parenting styles — permissive, authoritative, neglectful and authoritarian — used in child psychology today are based on the work of Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist, and Stanford researchers Eleanor Maccoby and John Martin.
Just like a helicopter hovers, some parents are constantly hovering around their child, observing their every move. Examples of helicopter parenting include hovering over your child when they're doing their homework, failing to trust them to do things independently, and interfering in their friendship groups.
The parenting style that is best for children is the supportive style. It's a style where you are warm and loving and you're affectionate but you also create structure and boundaries for your children, and you guide their behaviour.
We defined tiger parents as those who practice positive and negative parenting strategies simultaneously. Tiger parents are engaging in some positive parenting behaviors; however, unlike supportive parents, tiger parents also scored high on negative parenting dimensions.
The 4C's are principles for parenting (Care, Consistency, Choices, and Consequences) that help satisfy childrens' psychological, physical, social, and intellectual needs and lay solid foundations for mental well-being.
Permissive or 'jellyfish' parenting places few rules or demands on kids and parents seldom follow through on consequences when children do not follow the rules. This parenting approach often results in children who rank low in happiness and self-regulation.
Directive, duration, discipline and disengage.
Studies show that children of helicopter parents can experience long-lasting psychological repercussions that can follow them into adolescence and adulthood. In particular, when a parent is overly controlling, children have a harder time learning to manage their emotions and behavior.
The helicopter parent
“Helicopter parents who always hover around their kids and demand attention could be classic vulnerable narcissists,” says W. Keith Campbell, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Georgia and author of The New Science of Narcissism.
Lighthouse parenting means letting your kid be a kid, with all of the mistakes, failures and successes that come with childhood. Raise your child to be a successful 35-year-old by looking beyond immediate goals and focusing on the kind of person you hope your child will become.
2013. While "helicopter parents" hover, snowplow parents eliminate obstacles.
Last post, I defined “umbrella parents” as parents who have to do what it takes to get their child's needs served, even if it means looking like a 'smother mother' to other parents.
Named after the machine used for cutting grass, a lawnmower parent will “mow down” any obstacle their child might experience. According to a professor who coined the term in a blog post, lawnmower parents “rush ahead to intervene, saving the child from any potential inconvenience, problem, or discomfort".
According to Yahoo!, panda parenting is all about “gently guiding your little one, as opposed to shoving them down the parenting path”. In other words, a panda parent is one who gives their kids the freedom to do things their own way.
Elephant parents allow children to be children and seek happiness rather than academic success. This parenting style is filled with warmth, encouragement and protection. While tiger parents prepare their children for independence and the harsh realities of life from a young age.
French parenting is about praising kids for saying interesting things, and for speaking well.” When children truly earn your praise, they will feel a true sense of accomplishment and take pride in what they learn.
Children move through behaviors in three stages: Antecedent (before), Behavior (during), and Consequences (afterward). Children can change their behaviors during any of these stages but the approach is the same. The lessons on Smarter Parenting are designed to help in all stages of child behaviors.
The Three A's of Parenting: Authoritative, Attachment, and Acceptance.
At the core of all TMW programs is the 3Ts – Tune In, Talk More, and Take Turns – a simple, yet powerful tool to help parents make the most of everyday interactions with their children. The 3Ts help parents optimize the power of language in everyday moments.
Traditional Chinese parenting has been labeled as “authoritarian” by some researchers. Authoritarian parenting is a style of child-rearing that emphasizes high standards and a tendency to control kids through shaming, the withdrawal of love, or other punishments.
Snowplow parenting, also called lawnmower parenting or bulldozer parenting, is a parenting style that seeks to remove all obstacles from a child's path so they don't experience pain, failure, or discomfort.
They are supportive: Dolphin parents try to find the right balance. They support their child with their education and other choices. However, they don't put pressure on their child or punish them too harshly. They aim to build a good bond so their child feels they can make mistakes and come to their parent for support.