Move Over Helicopter Parents Here Comes Snowplow Parenting
We are all familiar with the parenting style of "helicopter" parents. These parents are always buzzing around their kids.
According to Parents magazine, it's "a style of parents who are over-focused on their children," says Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders near Detroit and author of Anxiety Disorders: The Go-To Guide. "They typically take too much responsibility for their children's experiences and, specifically, their successes or failures."
Now there's "snow plow" or "lawnmower" parents. As soon as you read the description, you will immediately know what comes to mind.
From a story in USA TODAY: "A new poll conducted by The New York Times and Morning Consult showed that parents don't stop handling things for their children when they become adults. We don't stop removing obstacles to child frustration or defeat, thus earning ourselves the moniker of snowplow or lawnmower parents."
These types of parents remove all obstacles from kids lives even into college and adulthood.
I would like to add "ninja" parenting to this list.
I describe this parent as the ones who are non-existent. The complete opposite of the snow plow or helicopter parent.
The ninja parent is always in the shadows and no one knows where they are, but there is no doubt where their kids are. Their kids are always in danger, always in trouble and in need of some guidance, but no one knows where mom and dad are. They are never to be found because they are ninja parents, and these kids fend for and raise themselves.
A balance of all parenting style is what kids need. Unfortunately, most parents were never parented themselves so they are operating out of a broken manual they grew up with.
Most of us probably wish other parents would parent more like our style, but being around people we can't control and trying to stay sane is 90% of life.
My friend always told me there are only two things we can't control
- The weather
- Everything else
Most parenting is a lot of guessing and trying not to mess your kids up too much.
Sources: USA TODAY