Helicopter parenting is one of parenting styles. This parenting style is known to hinder a child’s growth. Also, this parenting style can hinder a child’s ability to learn many things. Hence, helicopter parenting is best avoided by the parents. Simply, helicopter parenting is another term for overprotective parenting to the child. Usually, the parents with this parenting style tend to overprotect and in protecting and regulating everything related to the child.
Signs of Helicopter Parenting
Generally, helicopter parenting is caused by excessive worry and fear or even competition between the parents. At any stage of a child’s life, helicopter parenting can be applied. Before the school age, this parenting style can be seen in the attitude of the parents who never let their children play alone, directing their children’s behavior, and forbidding children to do many things.
At school age, signs of helicopter parenting can be seen from the way parents determine children’s activities or friends, make sure the children go to school as they want, or doing the child’s homework until it is perfect. Until the teenage years, the parents with helicopter parenting tend to be excessive and always interfere in the social environment and problems faced by the child.
The Negative Impact of Helicopter Parenting
Helicopter parenting can have a negative impact on a child’s emotional development if left unchecked. Here are some of the negative impacts of helicopter parenting that you need to know:
1. Difficult to solve problems
According to research, a child who is raised with helicopter parenting will have trouble when making decisions and facing a problem, especially in solving problems in the school environment.
2. Not independent and dependent on others
If the parents always wake their children up in the morning to go to school and prepare all their needs, including packing their school bags, then the children will not learn to be independent. In fact, there comes a time when a child will live alone without the parents again, and inevitably she/he must be able to take care of herself/himself.
3. Not being able to control emotions
Also, helicopter parenting will be able to increase the risk of children having difficulty controlling their emotions. This then makes it difficult for the child to socialize with their friends.
4. Lack of self-confidence
In fact, helicopter parenting can make the children insecure. This is caused by parents’ distrust of the child’s ability to do something, so that the child also does not believe in their ability to do something. Another negative impact of helicopter parenting is that the children are at a higher risk of developing mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders and depression.
How to Prevent the Negative Impact of Helicopter Parenting?
Of course, protecting the children is a parental obligation. However, if done excessively, the impact is not good for the children. There are several ways you can do to prevent the negative impact of helicopter parenting.
1. Make a list of your child’s abilities
To prevent the negative impact of helicopter parenting, you can list your child’s abilities on a piece of paper, and then decorate it. After that, show the list to your child and convince your child that there are many things he/she can do on his/her own. Through this way, the confidence in your child will grow.
2. Not helping your child when getting punished
When your child is being punished for his/her mistakes or negligence, try not to help your child. For example, when your child is punished for not doing homework at school. If you help your child with the punishment, then your child will not be deterred and will continue to repeat the same mistake. Aside from that, your child will also not learn to be responsible for his/her own behavior.
3. Not helping your child solve all problems
As a parent, you must stop helping your child solve trivial problems, such as tying shoelaces or doing homework. When your child asks for help for things that he/she can actually do on his/her own, just teach your child how to do it and ask your child to do that by himself/herself.
4. Letting children explore their own world
When your child is playing in the park, you only need to watch from afar without joining in the play. Even so, you still must remind your child to be careful not to fall. Even if they do fall, please do not overreact. Just help your child stand up and soothe your child if she/he cries, then explain to your child that falling is a common thing if she/he is not careful while playing. After that, you can encourage your child to go back to playing, but with more caution.
Now that you know the negative impacts that can occur, thus as much as possible avoid this style of parenting. If necessary, you can consult with a psychologist regarding the right parenting style to be applied to your child.
