Helicopter parents
As I grow older my parents have stopped doing various odd jobs for me. They don’t watch what I eat after school anymore, and now I order my own food at restaurants. When I start applying for college I’ll have their support, but for the most part I’ll be on my own.
But I’ve read about parents who don’t ever seem to let their children go and become the adults they should be. They’ve been coined the term “helicopter parents.”
When I first heard about helicopter parents, I was pretty jealous. Wouldn’t it be great to have a mom who does your college essays for you? Or a father who virtually does all of your homework so it’s perfect?
But my jealousy didn’t last very long once I started thinking about the implications. Having your mom proofread your paper is one thing, but for her to write the whole thing? Absurd. How will you ever learn how to write? It’s not as if she’s going to be able to write all of your papers for the rest of your life.
And if my parents did my homework, then I would never learn anything and would probably end up failing college. Of course, there are helicopter parents who don’t stop after their child has graduated from high school. I read about a mother who attended her son’s job interview to make sure it went all right.
The children of such parents obviously never learn to become independent. And it isn’t really their fault. Parents really should be willing to let their children learn things the hard way, even if it involves a little bit of pain.
After all, pain is part of growing up.
— Avanti Chajed