Helicopter Parents on the Playground: Let the Children Play
Posted By: Elisabeth Wilkins, EP Editor
Category: Helicopter Parents, Parenting Skills
Comments: 25
I was on the playground the other day with my five-year-old, and I brought a book with me. You see, I was determined to actually sit on the bench and read while he played. A funny thing happened, though. All the other parents were standing close by their kids and directing their play. (Now, I understand why you would do this with a younger child or toddler, but I’m talking parents of eight-year-olds here.) The parents, who I didn’t know, kept looking over their shoulders at me, as if to say, “Why aren’t you in here helping your child?” My son was going up and down the slide and having a ball, so I didn’t get what the fuss was about. As I reluctantly got up to supervise him, it hit me: being a helicopter parent is starting to become the new norm.
