The Effects of Helicopter Parenting on Children's Development

The first paragraph is an introduction. Many parents find it convenient to practice helicopter parenting in today's uncertain environment. Many parents find it difficult to send their children out into a hostile world, particularly when they know the child will fail, be mocked, and struggle. It is necessary to note, however, that children must continue to develop and learn. As a result, parents who want to protect their children from consequences and problems should be aware that they will face much more significant difficulties as they grow older. To promote the child's growth, Kwon and Bingham (2016) argue that parents should avoid helicopter parenting by promoting independence in their children. However, it is important to know that children need to strive to grow and learn. Therefore, the parents who try to save their children from consequences and challenges should rest assured that they will face even more challenges while growing up. Kwon and Bingham (2016) assert that parents need to avoid helicopter parenting by nurturing independence in their children to facilitate the Childs development. However, this does not necessarily mean that they should not be involved in their children's’ school life.

Thesis statement: Helicopter parenting has both positive and negative effects on a child development.

Body:

Point 1: Helicopter parenting affects the operations of higher education institutions and learners well-being (Cucchiara, 2013). To be precise, Cucchiara indicates that helicopter parenting affects the child’s self-esteem, personality, and privacy of the child as well as preventing the educators from freely executing their roles (Cucchiara, 2013).

Point 2: Averill (2013) explicates that over-parenting brings about the high level of concentration and success in academic and extra-curriculum activities.

Point 3: Potential helicopter parenting as noted by Schiffrin et al. is able to strike a balance between over involvement in a child’s education and the positive involvement (Schiffrin et al., 2013).

Point 4: Parents plays a huge role in a child’s transition from childhood to adulthood, and therefore helicopter parenting has both physical and psychological effects on a child (Segrin et al., 2012).

Point 5: Helicopter parenting hinders the ability of the children to socialize with their peers, negotiate and advocate for their interests (Peluchette et al., 2013).

Recommendation:

Parents need to listen to their children instead of imposing their goals and wishes on them. They should avoid trying to manage their children’s relationships or communications. Moreover, parents should evade dictating their children to do work and even in setting deadlines for them. Additionally, parents have to be supportive of their children’s teachers and encourage the children to respect their opinions. Finally, parents need to allow their children to face natural consequences for their actions. For instance, if a child fails to complete the school project the parents need not allow him or her to stay home alleging that the child is sick (Segrin et al., 2013).

Conclusion:

The paper evidence that helicopter parenting has its own negative and positive effects on a child’s development. However, the negative impacts outweigh the positive effects which mean that parents need to try and be neutral while dealing with the child’s affairs. As indicated above, helicopter parenting affects the child’s self-esteem, personality, and privacy of the child and it also prevents educators from freely executing their roles. Also, helicopter parenting hinders the ability of the children to socialize with their peers, negotiate and express their interests. Undoubtedly, teenagers whose parents created a rigid structural environment while they were young may encounter devastating experiences like anxiety and depression as well as face academic difficulties (Sharon, 2012). Therefore, it is essential for parents to exercise positive involvement with their children.



























Helicopter Parenting and Child’s Development

Introduction

Helicopter parenting is a term used to refer to a style of child rearing whereby the mother or father of a child is so domineering and thus discourages the child’s independence by being incredibly involved in the child’s life (Sharon, 2012). Helicopter parenting is depicted when a child faces some given challenges or difficulties, and one of the parent or both is reluctant in attending to the problems. The parents become forgetful that a child needs to grow and learn through being provided with the required freedom. Van et al., (2015) denotes that parents need to understand that saving the child from possible consequences and challenges makes them more vulnerable to worse changes in their future life. Parents need to avoid becoming helicopter parents by nurturing independence in their children as this facilitates the child’s development. The primary objective of this paper will be to discuss positive and negative effects of helicopter parenting on a child’s development.

Negative Effect of Helicopter Parenting on a Child’s Development

The child's development could be defined as the period of physical, social and cognitive growth that begins at birth to young adulthood. Child development takes a normal progression making the child to continue maturing, not only physically but in decision making and other aspects of life (Kwon & Bingham, 2016). Nevertheless, parents could become overprotective, and this may tremendously provide a hindrance to the development of the child. Helicopter parenting has significant negative impacts on the child as explained below.

Helicopter parenting has a negative impact on the child as it makes him or her to grow up being dependent neurotic and less open to people around. On the other hand, children who are raised by a lesser overprotective parent depict to be social and vibrant to the surrounding individuals (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Segrin et al. explain that helicopter parenting hinder the ability of the child to socialize with their peers, negotiate and advocate for their interests (Segrin et al., 2012). When this takes place, the child could end up becoming depressed since he or she may feel that no one understands to his or her interests. It also makes the child feel that life is unfair and that they will never be able to live a normal life like others. For instance, some of these children will never make any decision without calling their parents even at the workplace. Schiffrin et al. (2014) categorically state that the parents are involved in the job hunt, applications, attending interviews and negotiating for salaries on their children behalf. According to Averill (2013) ascertains that this problem comes as a result of economic pressures such as the scarcity of employment opportunities which pushes the parent to respond by over caring for their children.

Helicopter parenting affects the child’s operations in higher education institutions and negatively impacts on the learner’s well-being Cucchiara, 2013). Clearly, this has a detrimental influence of preventing educators to execute their roles in a free manner effectively. When this takes place, the child may not be able to receive the necessary help needed, and he or she might also be unable to make a decision about her future life. Peluchette et al. (2013), alludes that when the educators receive calls from a nagging parent at all times, they may tend to ignore the child or even avoid having any physical contact with the child. This means that the child will not be able to grow holistically since the parents are always calling the universities to negotiate, for the results, scold or even ask for a favor (Peluchette et al., 2013). According to Van et al. (2015), such students feel less satisfied and will not have the ability to handle difficult tasks.

Additionally, helicopter parenting has both physical and psychological effects on the child’s development. Undisputedly, parents play a huge role in a child’s transition from childhood to adulthood. However, when they become over involved so much they blur this transition for they try to control every facet of their children life and make the decision for them. Segrin et al. (2013), argues that this factor to a greater degree affects the moral development of the child. For instance, some of the parents even do assignments on behalf of their children thus eroding their morals as they grow up knowing that there is nothing wrong in compromising the systems of life. Some parents discourage children from participating from any physical activities, and this affects the child physically. These helicopter parents will tend to keep their children indoors, and when they get out, they only use their cars and therefore making them weak and vulnerable to physical challenges like obesity and other chronic diseases.

Positive Effect of Helicopter Parenting

Cucchiara (2013), echo in his article that over-parenting brings about the high level of concentration and success in academic and extra-curriculum activities. A parent who always finds time to communicate to the child and the teacher concerning the children is able to know the child’s strengths and weaknesses in academics and extra-curriculum activities. Therefore, helicopter parenting tends to play an essential role in the child’s development. These parents positively facilitate the success of their children in education achievement together with accomplishing in sports and hence becoming beneficial to the child. This has a positive impact on the development of the child both physically, psychologically and emotionally. Evidently, potential helicopter parenting is able to strike a balance between over involvement in child’s education and positive involvement (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Moreover, Peluchette et al. (2013), claims that due to constant involvement of parents in the child’s education, he or she can perform well in academics because they got encouraged and pressured to perform.

Recommendations:

Parents need to get involved in their children’s life positively. This will help them to have a healthy life both in their childhood and adulthood. Segrin et al., 2013 recommends that parents:

• Should listen to their children and never impose their goals and wishes on them.

• They should not manage their children relationships and communications.

• They should support the children’s teachers and encourage children to respect as well as listen to them.

• They should ensure that the children face natural consequences for their actions.

• They should try to have a positive involvement with the institutions of learning and workplaces without asking for any favors or nagging.

Conclusion

The paper evidence that helicopter parenting has its own negative and positive effects on a child’s development. However, the negative impacts outweigh the positive effects which mean that parents need to try and be neutral while dealing with the child’s affairs. As indicated above, helicopter parenting affects the child’s self-esteem, personality, and privacy of the child and it also prevents educators from freely executing their roles. Also, helicopter parenting hinders the ability of the children to socialize with their peers, negotiate and express their interests. Undoubtedly, teenagers whose parents created a rigid structural environment while they were young may encounter devastating experiences like anxiety and depression as well as face academic difficulties (Sharon, 2012). Therefore, it is essential for parents to exercise positive involvement with their children.































Annotated Bibliography

Averill, A. (2013, February 20). Helicopter parenting college students: Study shows ill effects. Christian Science Monitor.

In this article, Averil explains how parents place their children in difficult positions by requiring them to report to them anything they wish to undertake. The author gives an example of a student studying at the University of Mary Washington. The student failed to inform her mother of the visit she would make during one weekend. Worried of her whereabouts, the mother notified the police telling them that her daughter was missing. When the police found her, the student seemed embarrassed but claimed that it was typical of her mother becoming worried. Apart from this case, it is apparent that most parents manage bank accounts for their children and even do their laundry. Important to note is that over parenting has an adverse impact on child development as it makes them feel less competent. The article is significant as it reveals a feeling of dissatisfaction among these students while parents perceive that they are offering the much-needed help by their children.

Cucchiara, M. (2013). "Are We Doing Damage?" Choosing an Urban Public School in an Era of Parental Anxiety. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 44(1), 75-93.

In this article, Cucchiara examines different literature that explains the causes of the rise in anxiety among the various parents. In particular, the article emphasizes middle-class parents. Moreover, Cucchiara establishes that most public schools cater to the educational need of middle-class families. The focus of the study on public schools and the neighborhood of families becomes important in understanding what impact anxiety would have on a parent choosing on whether to send their child to a public school or not. On the other hand, middle-class parents consider the move to have their children study in public schools as not being linked to anxiety in the decision-making process. The article is relevant to the study of the impact of helicopter parenting on the development of children as the type of school children join forms the pillar of their future responsibility. Important to note is that the choice of school attended by a child is dependent on the parent.

Kwon, K., Yoo, G., & Bingham, G. (2016). Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood: Support or Barrier for Korean College Students' Psychological Adjustment?. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 25(1), 136-145.

Kwon, Yoo, & Binham in this article acknowledge that helicopter parenting exists in Korean having had an adverse impact on college students. They use the individuation-separation process that focuses on the way in which college students have over the years associated with their parents. Moreover, the study examines the manner in which the students have coped with psychological adjustment. The study which involved 412 students showed that there is a similarity between the helicopter parenting tactics used by parents in Korea and the United States. On the other hand, the study revealed that there is a negative relationship between the internal locus of students and their perception of helicopter parenting. Hence, the study is important in assessing the impact helicopter parenting will have on the development of children as it shows that this mode of parental control affects their well-being. Similarly, the psychological adjustment is vital in a child's development.

Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Nelson, L. J. (2012). Black hawk down?: Establishing helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood. Journal Of Adolescence, 351177-1190. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.03.007

In this article, Padilla-Walker & Nelson create a distinction between helicopter parenting and other means of parenting control. For this matter, they examine the behaviours associated with helicopter parenting. They conducted a study involving 438 participants within the United States consisting of 118 men and 320 women. Analysis of the data collected showed there are behavioural and psychological variables linked to parental control. However, there is an overlap between the variables contributing to helicopter parenting and other forms of parental control. On the other hand, there is a direct relationship between parental involvement and helicopter parenting. The article is significant in our study of a child’s development as it reveals various factors contributing to the parent-child relationship. Further, through this study, we can manage to determine the implications helicopter parenting has when it comes to responsibility and healthy development of children and individuals approaching adulthood.

Peluchette, J. E., Kovanic, N., & Partridge, D. (2013). Helicopter parents hovering in the workplace: What should HR managers do?. Business Horizons, 56601-609. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2013.05.004

Peluchette, Kovanic, & Partridge in their article give an overview of the possible causes of helicopter parenting and why such behaviours may prevail in the workplace setting. They attribute over parenting to individuals having a low attitude and might have shown guerrilla traits at some point. The response such individuals receive from their kids might contribute to the likelihood that they will bring their practices to the workplace. In particular, the employee does not perceive this as a good behaviour and might propose ways to help those displaying them. Therefore, the fact that other workers are not happy with over parenting means that even the children will also not have an easy time which in turn affects their behaviour. Thus, this article assists to give a relativity perspective to the impact of helicopter parenting on the development of a child by comparing how adults will react in the presence of over-pressuring workmates.

Schiffrin, H., Liss, M., Miles-McLean, H., Geary, K., Erchull, M., & Tashner, T. (2014). Helping or Hovering? The Effects of Helicopter Parenting on College Students' Well-Being. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 23(3), 548-557.

Despite the fact that many studies discredit the contribution of over parenting to positive child outcomes, there is a need to implement it in a form that is developmentally appropriate. Schiffin et. al. in their article note that the effects of over-parenting can either be positive or negative. In particular, over parenting significantly affects college students since they feel they do not attain the ideal levels of psychological well-being. For this reason, they tend to be less satisfied with most of the occurrences from their families. Schiffin et. al. take a look at the self-determination theory which specifies that autonomy supportive parenting assists in lowering anxiety and depression while on the other hand improving satisfaction with life. Hence, the article is important in revealing how helicopter parenting affects college students and in particular their competence and autonomy. A similar approach will pave the way for assessing the impacts helicopter parenting will have on the development of children.

Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., Bauer, A., & Murphy, M. T. (2012). The Association between Overparenting, Parent-Child Communication, and Entitlement and Adaptive Traits in Adult Children. Family Relations, 61(2), 237-252.

According to Segrin et. al., helicopter parenting can be another form in which over parenting manifests itself, and in such cases, parents deploy inappropriate means to assist their children to develop. For this reason, it becomes difficult for these kids to perform their responsibilities as required when they grow up in future. Moreover, Segrin et. al. ascertains that there is a close correlation between over parenting and negative child performances and dysfunctional parent relations. A study they conducted in the United States involving 538 young adult's relationships with their kids revealed there is a variation in the perceptions of over parenting among different families. Important to note is that over parenting depends on parent-child communication levels and the parenting styles among other variables. However, children considered adaptive traits, family satisfaction, and entitlement to be key in determining the level of over parenting. Thus, this article will assist in determining how helicopter parenting affects a child’s development.

Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., & Montgomery, N. (2013). Parent and child traits associated with overparenting. Journal Of Social And Clinical Psychology, 32(6), 569-595. doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.6.569

Whenever parents engage in excessive parental directedness, involvement in affairs of their kids, tangible assistance, monitoring, and problem-solving, then this is a good description of over parenting. Segrin et. al. in this article take a close look at the family enmeshment theories and how they are likely going to affect the personality development of children. On the other hand, they link helicopter parenting to a negative attitude in parents such as regret and anxiety. For the case of children, over parenting may be attributable to stress, narcissism, anxiety, and poor coping styles among other issues. Among 653 participants which they observed, it became evident that there is a direct relationship between over parenting and parental anxiety. Regarding parental regret, it had an indirect relationship with over parenting. Hence, this journal article, through its findings we can manage to establish some of the traits in both parents and children that precipitate the tendency of over parenting in different family settings.

Sharon, J. (2012). Do helicopter parents help or harm the kids?. USA Today.

In this article, Sharon claims that there is a difference between an involved and caring parent and a hovering parent. Moreover, she proceeds to explain that helicopter parenting can have positive child outcomes as well as negative ones. Therefore, it is clear that in most cases parents excise their role in ways that are inappropriate when it comes to the development of a child. The negative impact of helicopter parenting is that it interferes with the success and the well-being of a child. A study in which 438 participants were undergraduate students in the United States reveals that helicopter parenting has a negative impact on student engagement when it comes to studies. On the other hand, the study showed that parents who excessively involved themselves in the affairs of their children had a poor life satisfaction. The article is significant in assessing the effect of helicopter parenting on the development of children as it shows that over the involvement of parents fails to foster independence affecting the future responsibility of a child.

van Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A., Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A. D., & Roberts, A. (2015). Helicopter Parenting: The Effect of an Overbearing Caregiving Style on Peer Attachment and Self-Efficacy. Journal Of College Counseling, 18(1), 7-20. doi:10.1002/j.2161-1882.2015.00065.x

The authors of this article explain helicopter parenting as one of the phenomena that have in a big way negatively affected college student. In particular, they establish a connection between peer relations and self-efficacy with helicopter parenting. The study which involved 190 students whose age ranged between 18 to 28 years exhibited that there was evidence of low self-efficacy, lack of trust, and low attachment to peers by students who have undergone helicopter parenting. Moreover, the study shows that psychologists and counsellors play a vital role in ensuring these students who are at the university or college level receive guidance on how they can undergo psychological adjustment. Therefore, they are in a position to offer treatment to children facing the adverse impacts of over parenting. The article is significant in our study as it provides a real-life picture and reflection of the widespread negative effects over parenting has had on the development of children in different families.

























References:

Averill, A. (2013, February 20). Helicopter parenting college students: Study shows ill effects. Christian Science Monitor.

Cucchiara, M. (2013). "Are We Doing Damage?" Choosing an Urban Public School in an Era of Parental Anxiety. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 44(1), 75-93.

Kwon, K., Yoo, G., & Bingham, G. (2016). Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood: Support or Barrier for Korean College Students' Psychological Adjustment?. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 25(1), 136-145.

Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Nelson, L. J. (2012). Black hawk down?: Establishing helicopter parenting as a distinct construct from other forms of parental control during emerging adulthood. Journal Of Adolescence, 351177-1190. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.03.007

Peluchette, J. E., Kovanic, N., & Partridge, D. (2013). Helicopter parents hovering in the workplace: What should HR managers do?. Business Horizons, 56601-609. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2013.05.004

Schiffrin, H., Liss, M., Miles-McLean, H., Geary, K., Erchull, M., & Tashner, T. (2014). Helping or Hovering? The Effects of Helicopter Parenting on College Students' Well-Being. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 23(3), 548-557.

Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., Bauer, A., & Murphy, M. T. (2012). The Association between Overparenting, Parent-Child Communication, and Entitlement and Adaptive Traits in Adult Children. Family Relations, 61(2), 237-252.

Segrin, C., Woszidlo, A., Givertz, M., & Montgomery, N. (2013). Parent and child traits associated with overparenting. Journal Of Social And Clinical Psychology, 32(6), 569-595. doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.6.569

Sharon, J. (2012). Do helicopter parents help or harm the kids?. USA Today.

van Ingen, D. J., Freiheit, S. R., Steinfeldt, J. A., Moore, L. L., Wimer, D. J., Knutt, A. D., & Roberts, A. (2015). Helicopter Parenting: The Effect of an Overbearing Caregiving Style on Peer Attachment and Self-Efficacy. Journal Of College Counseling, 18(1), 7-20. doi:10.1002/j.2161-1882.2015.00065.x