Helicopter moms

[FarNorthDallas]

There was a column in the newspaper today about helicopter parents,
but it said the really hard core ones are now called, Black Hawk Down Parents.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by omigawd

Not at all..... I'm a working mom myself (40+ hours a week).

I'm not "lumping" anyone into any category. I'm talking about the people who are so adamant about letting their kids "grow" and be "independent" and "confident" and really have no clue. They should keep in mind that the news only reports the BIG horror stories of abduction, etc. The news never mentions the 100s of 1000s of kids who have things happen to/done to them everyday --- these "independent" "confident" kids who are out and about by themselves since Mom and Dad think it's important NOT to interfere or keep an eye out for them.

Well-there's a huge difference between letting a kid walk home from the bus stop and letting them just wander all over the place unsupervised.

My 5th grader walks home from the school bus and lets himself in the house. He calls me, takes the dog for a quick pee pee break, and then does his homework. When I get out of work I pick up my older son, and drive home. He is usually home by himself for about an hour.

When I get home I ask him about his homework and he tells me what he had, and how much of it he has done. I ask him whether he had any problems or needs any help. If he does then I help him. He has a large project that is due tomorrow. He completed the entire thing on his own. I helped him plan the timeline of the project but he did the whole thing on his own. All I did was read it and help him correct typographical errors.

That's not being uninvolved, nor is it being overly involved. My 8th grader is mostly indpendent but yesterday he did not understand his Algebra homework so I had to help him with that. It's HIS JOB to bring me the things he doesn't understand. I am around to help, but I don't chase him down on a daily basis. He is 13.

My 10 grader hardly asks for any help ever. He is a genius though. My other kids need a bit more support than my oldest.

[Momma_bear]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

I can't believe a parent reacting to seeing his kid hurt can be called helicopter Dad. he wouldn't have let his kid even play this sport if he was a helicopter dad.

Total overkill in high school. Getting the wind knocked out of you is no big deal and it happens all the time. You don't need to run out on the field for that.

[lisdol]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

There was a column in the newspaper today about helicopter parents,
but it said the really hard core ones are now called, Black Hawk Down Parents.

Do you have a link to the column? Sounds interesting!

Oh never mind I think I found it. Dallas paper?

[FarNorthDallas]

Originally Posted by lisdol

Do you have a link to the column? Sounds interesting!

Oh never mind I think I found it. Dallas paper?

Helicopter parents, return to base | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Columnist Steve Blow | Dallas-Fort Worth News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/sblow/stories/DN-blow_03met.ART.State.Edition1.4b45c6b.html - broken link)

hahahaha

[LisaMc46]

There has to be a sense of balance. You need to supervise your children while they're still living in your home while gradually teaching them the life skills they'll need to survive on their own.

I have a co-worker with four high-achieving kids, from middle school age to college. She's on the phone with each child at least twice a day. She calls the school-age kids while their in school, asking them about the tests they've taken that day and their homework assignments. She also calls or e-mails their teachers constantly to check on their progress and express concern if they don't earn an A in something.

She complains about her college-age daughter not have any common sense but she micro-manages her life to the point where the poor girl doesn't have to think for herself. Not only does she interrogate her about how much time she's studying and how well she's doing in her courses, but she tries to manage her social life as well.

Last year she was upset b/c the girl was assigned an Asian roommate. She worried that they would have nothing in common so she convinced her daughter to join a mostly-white sorority and then drove 5 hours to the college to help her move into the sorority house. Crazy.

I care about how well my daughters (ages 10 and 8) are doing in school and check their homework assignments nightly to make sure they've completed them. I also inquire about the due dates for their special projects and make sure they have the materials they need for them. But I'm certainly not going to call their teachers to complain when they don't get an A and I don't do their work for them. I couldn't imagine calling them at school unless it was an emergency.