Helicopter parent

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A helicopter parent is a term for a person who pays extremely close attention to his or her child or children, particularly at educational institutions. They rush to prevent any harm or failure from befalling them or letting them learn from their own mistakes, sometimes even contrary to the children's wishes. They are so named because, like a helicopter, they hover closely overhead, rarely out of reach whether their children need them or not. In Scandinavia, this phenomenon is known as curling parenthood - describing parents who sweep all obstacles off ahead of their children.

An extension of the term, "Black Hawks," has been coined for those who cross the line from a mere excess of zeal to unethical behavior such as writing their children's college admission essays. (The reference is to the military helicopter of the same name.)

1 Origins
2 Explanations
3 Beyond college
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links

[edit] Origins

The term "helicopter parents" is a pejorative expression for parents that has been widely used in the media; however, there has been little academic research into the phenomenon. Foster W. Cline, M.D. and Jim Fay defined "helicopter parents" very precisely in a section on "ineffective parenting styles" in their 1990 book "Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility"^[1]. It gained wide currency when American college administrators began using it in the early 2000s as the millennial generation began reaching college age. Their late-wave baby-boomer parents in turn earned notoriety for practices such as calling their children each morning to wake them up for class and complaining to their professors about grades the children had received. Some of these parents had, in fact, chosen the child's college, and hired consultants to help fine-tune the application process.

Today some parents of students in the primary and secondary grades have attempted to neutralize the term by openly referring to themselves as helicopter parents and wearing t-shirts sporting the logo "helicopter parents."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Explanations

The rise of the cell phone is often blamed for the explosion of helicopter parenting — it has been called "the world's longest umbilical cord"^[2]. Parents, for their part, point to rising college tuitions, saying they are just protecting their investment or acting like any other consumer. Newer federal laws, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), have also recognized the importance of family in the educational process.

[edit] Beyond college

As these students graduate and move on to the job market, personnel and human resources departments are becoming acquainted with the phenomenon as well. Some have reported that parents have begun intruding on salary negotiations^[3].

[edit] See also

Jewish mother stereotype

[edit] References

^ Cline, Foster W. & Fay, Jim (1990), Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility, Pinon Press, pp. 23-25, ISBN 0-89109-311-7, <http://www.loveandlogic.com>
^ Briggs, Sarah; Confessions of a 'Helicopter Parent' (.PDF.), retrieved May 1, 2006
^ Armour, Stephanie (2007-04-23). 'Helicopter' parents hover when kids job hunt (English). USA Today. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.

[edit] Further reading

Shellenbarger, Sue; July 29, 2005; Colleges Ward Off Overinvolved Parents, The Wall Street Journal; retrieved from careerjournal.com May 1, 2006.
The College Board; Are you a helicopter parent?, retrieved May 1, 2006.
CNN Article: 'Helicopter parents' try to help their kids land jobs, retrieved November 7, 2006.
University of Texas at Austin; April 2, 2007; [1] "Mom Needs an 'A': Hovering, Hyper-Involved Parents the topic of landmark study.