Helicopter parents are parents or legal guardians who track, supervise and regulate their children on an extremely frequent basis.

These parents usually believe they are doing the best for their child or are keeping their child safe by restricting their privacy and freedom.

However, smothering children instead of giving them responsibility is extensively detrimental to a child and their growth.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota found helicopter parenting reduces a child’s ability to control emotions and behavior. The reason behind this is that parent’s control of what enters their child’s mind leaves them unexposed to independent thought.

Without independent thought, children cannot learn to create, improvise or rationalize foreign ideas and concepts.

Helicopter parenting creates an unnecessary reduction in a child’s ability to be independent. With parents constantly monitoring their child and correcting their behavior, the child cannot learn how to handle situations by themselves.

Having no control over children is also objectively detrimental, as it can cause abandonment-related issues such as frequent detachment or hyper fixation in relationships.

With the highly publicized dangers and tragedies of the modern world, more parents want to protect their child from struggle and disappointment.

This ideology only cripples children because as grown adults they will not have coping methods which may lead to drug or alcohol abuse.

21kboyle@usd489.com