What defines a helicopter parent?

[nikki1920]

I hope I'm not that kind of parent. I give my daughter the support to always do her best and try my best to let her deal with the consequences, good or bad. (She'll be in fifth grade next month.) Helicoptering, IMO, is when a parent tries to live the kids' life for them. Picking classes, picking schools, picking extra curricular activities, choosing roommates. Not letting the child live their own life and make their own decisions. My job now is to help my child learn how to make decisions and to walk her through the process if/when she gets stuck, not to do it for her. I help provide her with the tools to make sound decisions and live with the consequences. I am there to say, "watch out" and to pick her up when she falls.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nikki1920

I hope I'm not that kind of parent. I give my daughter the support to always do her best and try my best to let her deal with the consequences, good or bad. (She'll be in fifth grade next month.) Helicoptering, IMO, is when a parent tries to live the kids' life for them. Picking classes, picking schools, picking extra curricular activities, choosing roommates. Not letting the child live their own life and make their own decisions. My job now is to help my child learn how to make decisions and to walk her through the process if/when she gets stuck, not to do it for her. I help provide her with the tools to make sound decisions and live with the consequences. I am there to say, "watch out" and to pick her up when she falls.

That sounds like great parenting to me.

And just for those that feel like what we need to be doing is toughening up the next generation:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news...oduces_nothing