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Helicopter Parenting is not Helpful

It is natural for parents to want the very best for their children. They make sure their kids have brushed their teeth, feed them healthy foods, and check to make sure that their homework is done. All of this is done because of love. That being said, there is a point where things become too much. It turns out that helicopter parenting can actually harm a child’s future prospects. What is a “helicopter parent”? Parents Magazine says that the term originated in 1969 in a book called Parents & Teenagers written by Dr. Haim Ginott. Some of the teens he … Continue reading →

Hover, Hover, Hover, Helicopter Mom

Are you a helicopter parent? Do you finish projects for your child, work out his playground spats, watch every bite that goes in and out of his mouth, step in anytime something may challenge your child because you don’t want him to fail, still check every night to make sure he is still breathing, and he’s twelve? Then you my friend, are a helicopter parent. Don’t feel bad, there are lots of us. I used to joke that Hailey thought her legs were painted on, she insisted on being carried everywhere until she was at least five. The only reason … Continue reading →

Helicopter Nanny

Yes, please! Sign me up. Forget about the stigma associated with helicopter parents, if I am forking over cold hard cash for someone to care for my child, she better be hovering over him. Personally, I believe the media is to blame for the relentless chastising of overprotective moms and dads who tend to circle around their kids and land unannounced at inopportune times. Whereas I realize that some parents take their involvement to extremes, most of us simply want to ensure that our children are safe and staying out of trouble. Of course, this type of child rearing is … Continue reading →

Helicopter Parent or Scaredy Cat?

I think I hold on too tightly. As the single parent of an only child I believe that I am overprotective and that I’m guilty of being a helicopter parent. I hover, I ask questions, I check up and insist she check in. Even at 18 I call her everyday to make sure she is up for work, she always is, but that doesn’t mean I stop calling. I want to know who her friends are, where she is going, who will be there, will there be an adult. What time will you be home? Who’s going with you? Wake … Continue reading →

How Carefully Do You Monitor Your Children?

Much has been made of the differences between overprotective parents, who keep their kids under lock, key and surveillance, and those moms and dads rearing free-range kids who are allowed to roam the world unsupervised. Personally, I don’t fit in either camp. I don’t insist that my child travel with security detail, but I am a stickler for helmet-wearing and I’m not afraid to hover from time to time. Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, you have to wonder if parents can ever get it right after learning about the tragic accident involving two Long Island teens. I … Continue reading →

Embrace Your Inner Helicopter

Have you ever been accused of “helicopter parenting”? If so, how did it make you feel? Some parents turn as red as my new MAC Viva Glam lipstick when charged with the title. Conversely, extreme helicopter parents wear their wings proudly in the name of doing all things good and right for the sake of their children. Madeleine Levine, a well-known American clinical psychologist, coined the term “helicopter parent,” in her book The Price of Privilege. However, since then the title has become a catch phrase with more negative connotations than positive. Recently, the headmistress of a leading girls’ school … Continue reading →

Flying Solo

My baby is gone. She learned how to ride a two-wheeler and took off. It’s a mother’s worst nightmare. Your child is ready to spread her wings, but you just want to smother those growing appendages in a bear hug and hold on for dear life. This summer, my little fledgling was itching to take flight and she used her beloved bike to soar… far away from home. Too far. Way too far. What started out as a request to ride solo to the end of our cul-de-sac morphed into a journey stretching several blocks into an unfamiliar neighborhood filled … Continue reading →

Prepare for the Worst

You haven’t witnessed the epitome of a helicopter parent (or Capri Sun mom) until you’ve seen me cheering on my young daughter as she boogie boards at one of Hawaii’s most popular beaches. And by cheer I mean desperately try to protect her from being creamed by a wave, sucked into whitewash or swept out to sea by a nasty current… without her knowing I am doing anything more than applauding her rad moves on a foam board. Call me a freak, but I stand by my paranoia. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), drowning is the second … Continue reading →

Olympic-Sized Stress for Parents

Have you seen this video of US gymnast Aly Raisman’s mom and dad as they watch their child prodigy complete her uneven bars routine at the Olympic Games? NBC showed Ricky and Lynn Raisman debut their own choreographed routine in the bleachers last night during its primetime coverage. If medals were given out for the most amusing ways parents of Olympians dealt with nervous energy, Ma and Pa Raisman would have taken home the gold last night. London is nearly a half world away from my living room, yet I could feel their stress as I sat glued to my … Continue reading →

Summer Camp Quandary

How young is too young for sleepaway camp? For parents, not kids. I’m convinced that I could hit the big 8-0 and still worry about my kid being away from home. And by home, I mean me. Because hi, I am THAT Mom. Allow my baby to attend summer sleepaway camp? Never. Actually, I’ll probably give in when she turns 30… I mean 10. That’s considered the “age of reason” for most sleepaway camps in our neck of the woods. However, on the East Coast there are many summer camps that allow kids as young as 6 years old to … Continue reading →