Are Helicopter Parents Overbearing

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Most parents become helicopter parents because they are paranoid that every time their child goes outside to play or when they are walking home from school that something bad is going to happened. As stated in source 4 “if parents “helicopter” because they are always afraid something bad is going to happen like a pedophile is going to jump out of the bushes or the child is going to get abducted they also transmit these fears to the child (Howard 4). If parents are always nervous and worried when their kids go outside, then the child sees that fear in their parents and maybe they will continue the same cycle with their own children. Although some believe that helicopter parents help the child development and that being overprotective helps children to. Studies have concluded this is not evident since studies have found out that children who have an overbooked schedule filled with after school activities may experience panic attacks due to all this pressure (Howard 4). Other studies have concluded that children with overprotective parents that don’t allow them to go anywhere without them may even experience or have health effects from sitting at home or eating too much (Howard 4). In some cases, while children are watching their parents hovering and being overprotective they may be taking this as an example on how to be parent and maybe they will be the same with their own children.

The ultimate question is: What is hovering and what is helping? Some benefits may result from a clingy parent, but hovering does more harm than good. Harm is not only done to the young adult’s sense of well-being and self-worth, but to the society in which they must function in. Graduating college, getting a job, and learning how to support a family are all life skills needed. If parents continue over-parenting, an adult can never grow. Resulting in a reliant, inexperienced generation who cannot take responsibility of their actions. If parents can learn early in a child’s life to let go, they can proudly grow and succeed on their own into a successful citizen.

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